No one else would want me or respect me except him
Natasha reported suffering psychological violence, emotional control, and humiliation during her relationship with Jairinho, the former councilman. She alleged Jairinho distributed an intimate photo of her in the Bangu neighborhood with a caption referencing her breast implants, causing public humiliation.
- Fourth day of trial for Jairinho and Monique Medeiros in Henry Borel's death
- Natasha testified about psychological abuse, emotional control, and humiliation during their relationship
- Jairinho allegedly distributed an intimate photo of Natasha in Bangu neighborhood with a caption crediting himself for her breast implants
- Natasha's daughter Kaylane has also testified about experiencing abuse from Jairinho as a child
During the fourth day of the trial for Henry Borel's death, Jairinho's ex-partner testified about psychological manipulation, humiliation, and non-consensual intimate image sharing during their relationship.
The fourth day of testimony in the trial of Jairo Souza Santos Júnior—known as Jairinho—and Monique Medeiros brought a woman named Natasha to the witness stand at Rio's Second Criminal Court. She is the ex-partner of the former city councilman and mother of Kaylane, a young woman who has said she suffered physical abuse from Jairinho when she was a child. Natasha's account added another layer to the portrait of the defendant's behavior: a pattern of psychological control, humiliation, and violation that extended beyond the death of Henry Borel, the four-year-old boy at the center of the trial.
During her testimony, Natasha described a relationship marked by manipulation and emotional domination. She recalled an incident in which Jairinho gave her a sleeping pill, but she remained awake long enough to see him lifting her daughter from the sofa. When she questioned what he was doing, he explained that Kaylane had woken up and he was simply retrieving her. At the time, Natasha said, she did not interpret his actions as violent. Looking back now, she understands differently. "I didn't have the understanding that he was hurting her," she told the court. "I really thought he just went to get her because she had woken up."
But the psychological abuse extended far beyond ambiguous moments. Natasha testified that Jairinho subjected her to episodes of public humiliation and emotional control. Most strikingly, she alleged that he distributed an intimate photograph of her throughout the Bangu neighborhood where they lived. The image showed her breasts and was captioned with her name followed by a statement crediting Jairinho—identified as "Dr. Jairinho"—for her breast implants. The caption was a deliberate, public claim of ownership over her body and her medical choices. "He told me that no one else would want me or respect me except him," Natasha said during her testimony, capturing the isolation and dependence such abuse is designed to create.
Natasha also described physical violence, though she said she only began to recognize certain incidents as abuse after the relationship ended. She recalled a moment when Jairinho tore her blouse. At the time, she had not framed it as an act of aggression. The pattern Natasha described—psychological control followed by a delayed recognition of physical harm—is common in cases of intimate partner abuse. The victim's own perception of what is happening becomes distorted by the abuser's framing of events, and clarity often arrives only after distance is established.
Her testimony serves as evidence of a broader pattern of behavior by Jairinho. The trial centers on the death of Henry Borel, but the accounts emerging from witnesses paint a picture of a man who used manipulation, humiliation, and violence as tools of control across multiple relationships and with children in his care. Natasha's daughter Kaylane has already testified about her own experiences of abuse at his hands. As the trial continues, each witness adds texture to the prosecution's case: not just what happened to one child on one night, but how Jairinho operated within the spaces where he held power.
Notable Quotes
I didn't have the understanding that he was hurting her. I really thought he just went to get her because she had woken up.— Natasha, ex-partner of Jairinho, describing an incident she later reinterpreted as potential abuse
He told me that no one else would want me or respect me except him.— Natasha, describing Jairinho's pattern of emotional control and isolation
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
When Natasha saw Jairinho lifting her daughter from the sofa that night, why didn't she recognize it as violence?
Because he had a ready explanation, and because psychological abuse works by making the victim doubt their own instincts. She was already under his control—he'd given her a pill to sleep. His version of events became the official one.
The intimate photo he distributed—was that a one-time act, or part of a larger pattern of control?
It was part of the pattern. He was broadcasting ownership of her body to the neighborhood. The caption wasn't just crude; it was a public claim that he had made her who she was. It was designed to isolate her, to make her feel she had nowhere else to go.
She said she only recognized some of his actions as violent after they broke up. How does that change what the court hears?
It complicates the narrative in his favor, potentially. But it also makes the testimony more credible. She's not claiming she always knew what was happening. She's saying the pattern only became clear in hindsight—which is exactly how psychological abuse works.
Her daughter Kaylane also testified. Are their accounts consistent?
They describe the same man operating the same way: using control, physical force, and manipulation. But they experienced it from different positions—one as a partner, one as a child. That consistency matters.
What does her testimony add to the case about Henry Borel's death?
It shows a man with a documented history of violence and control in intimate spaces, with children present. It doesn't prove what happened to Henry, but it establishes who Jairinho was in the home.