The Rio de Janeiro Court scheduled for March 23, 2023 the popular jury of Monique Medeiros and former councilor Jairo Souza Santos Júnior, Dr. Jairinho, accused of the boy’s death Henry Borelin 2021.
The date was set after more than four years of procedural procedures and appeals from the defendants’ defense. Commenting on the decision on social media, Henry’s father, Leniel Borel, who works as an assistant prosecutor, highlighted the pain of waiting.
“I have more time fighting for justice for my son than the time I had with him in life. Henry only lived four years. I wake up and sleep with the same request: that the truth about what they did to my son be told in front of the whole of society”, lamented Leniel.
For the victim’s father, the jury’s appointment brings a mix of hope and suffering. “Seeing the jury date set is like reopening a wound that never healed. It hurts a lot, but it also gives me hope that, finally, Henry will be heard by justice. It’s not just any process: it’s the trial of a brutal crime against a 4-year-old child who trusted the adults who were supposed to protect her”, he added.
Henry Borel Medeiros died in the early hours of March 8, 2021, in the apartment where he lived with his mother, Monique Medeiros, and stepfather, Dr. Jairinho, in Barra da Tijuca, southwest of Rio de Janeiro.
The boy was taken by the couple to a private hospital, where they claimed he had suffered a domestic accident. However, the autopsy report from the Medical-Legal Institute (IML) indicated that the child suffered 23 injuries from violent action, including liver laceration and internal bleeding.
Civil Police investigations concluded that Henry was a victim of torture routines carried out by his stepfather and that his mother was aware of the attacks. Jairinho and Monique were denounced by the Public Ministry and are facing charges of double homicide.
You defendants were arrested in April 2021. Since then, the case has gone through several judicial phases, including the investigation of the case and appeals to higher courts, which postponed the formation of the Sentencing Council.
