Someone in that household wanted the record erased.
No coração de um tribunal do Rio de Janeiro, o sétimo dia do julgamento de Jairinho e Monique Medeiros trouxe à tona as camadas de silêncio, lealdade e contradição que frequentemente envolvem a violência doméstica. A morte de Henry Borel, aos quatro anos, em março de 2021, continua a ressoar como um chamado coletivo à responsabilidade — não apenas dos acusados, mas de todos que testemunharam e se calaram. Vinte depoimentos depois, o julgamento se aproxima de seu desfecho com a promessa de que a ciência forense dirá, na segunda-feira, o que as palavras humanas ainda tentam obscurecer.
- A babá de Henry revelou que foi instruída a apagar mensagens após a morte do menino — um silêncio imposto que agora ecoa dentro do tribunal.
- O pai de Jairinho subiu ao banco das testemunhas para desacreditar ex-namoradas do filho, sinalizando uma defesa disposta a atacar a credibilidade de quem acusa.
- A esposa atual de Jairinho descreveu tê-lo agredido sem receber resposta violenta, numa tentativa calculada de reescrever a imagem pública do réu.
- Uma pastora testemunhou por vídeo dos Estados Unidos e introduziu a hipótese de um acidente de carro dias antes da morte de Henry — abrindo uma frente alternativa para explicar os ferimentos do menino.
- Com três peritos finais — psiquiatra, médico e legista — programados para segunda-feira, a fase de acusação se encaminha para seu encerramento e o julgamento para seu momento decisivo.
O julgamento de Jairinho e Monique Medeiros chegou ao seu sétimo dia no domingo, 31 de maio, com nove horas de sessão e vinte testemunhas ouvidas ao todo. Os dois respondem pela morte de Henry Borel, de quatro anos, que chegou sem vida ao Hospital Barra D'Or em 8 de março de 2021, com múltiplas lesões internas e em parada cardíaca. Na segunda-feira, três peritos — um psiquiatra, um médico e o legista que realizou a autópsia — encerrarão a fase de acusação.
A sessão dominical ouviu quatro testemunhas. Thayná de Oliveira Ferreira, babá de Henry, descreveu episódios perturbadores envolvendo Jairinho e o menino, e afirmou ter recebido orientação para apagar mensagens e minimizar relatos sobre o que acontecia dentro do apartamento. O pai de Jairinho, por sua vez, contestou a credibilidade de ex-namoradas do filho que haviam descrito episódios de violência.
A defesa também apresentou Fernanda Abidur Figueiredo, atual esposa de Jairinho, que disse tê-lo agredido ao descobrir traições sem que ele reagisse com violência — um depoimento claramente destinado a contrariar o perfil de agressor construído pela acusação. A última testemunha do dia foi uma pastora que depôs por vídeo de Massachusetts e alegou que Henry sofreu um acidente de carro dias antes de morrer, sendo arremessado para frente e batendo a cabeça — possível tentativa da defesa de oferecer uma explicação alternativa para os ferimentos.
A mesma pastora acusou Leniel Borel, pai de Henry, de fraude financeira, afirmando que ele teria tomado mais de sessenta mil dólares emprestados sem devolver. O julgamento, que havia previsto 27 testemunhas e foi reduzido a 23 após desistências das defesas, enfrenta acusações graves: homicídio com múltiplas qualificadoras, tortura, coação processual, fraude e falsificação de documentos. Segundo a promotoria, Henry era espancado no apartamento onde vivia com a mãe e Jairinho, na Zona Oeste do Rio.
The trial of Jairo Souza Santos Júnior, the former city councilman known as Jairinho, and Monique Medeiros stretched into its seventh day on Sunday, May 31st, consuming nine hours of testimony before concluding at 9 p.m. The two stand accused in the death of four-year-old Henry Borel, who died on March 8, 2021, after arriving at Hospital Barra D'Or with multiple internal injuries and in cardiac arrest. By day's end, twenty witnesses had taken the stand, and the trial will resume Monday morning with three final expert witnesses: a psychiatrist, a physician, and the forensic pathologist who performed Henry's autopsy.
The Sunday session heard from four people. Henry's nanny at the time of his death, Thayná de Oliveira Ferreira, described episodes she found troubling involving Jairinho and the boy. She also testified that after Henry died, she received instructions to delete messages and downplay any accounts of what had occurred within the household. Jairinho's father, Jairo Souza Santos, took the stand to challenge the credibility of two former girlfriends of his son and the daughter of one of them—all of whom had described violent incidents they said Jairinho inflicted on them.
The defense strategy became clearer as the day progressed. Fernanda Abidur Figueiredo, Jairinho's current wife, testified that she herself had struck him upon discovering his infidelities, yet he had not retaliated. Her account was designed to counter the narrative that Jairinho was a violent man prone to aggression. The final witness of the day was Miriam Santos Rabelo Costa, a pastor called by Jairinho's defense team. She testified via video from Massachusetts, where she now lives, and claimed to have had a prior relationship with Leniel Borel, Henry's father, whom she accused of assault.
Miriam's testimony introduced a new element into the proceedings: an alleged car accident involving Henry and his father days before the boy's death. She said she had spoken with Leniel's private driver, a man named Maurício, who described a moment when another vehicle braked suddenly, forcing him to brake hard as well. Henry, seated in the back, was thrown forward and struck his head, crying out and complaining of pain. The defense appeared to be laying groundwork for an alternative explanation for Henry's injuries.
Beyond the death itself, Miriam also leveled a separate accusation against Leniel Borel: financial fraud. She claimed he had borrowed more than sixty thousand dollars from her and never repaid it, with some of the money allegedly going toward legal fees for this very case. The accusation added another layer of complexity to a trial already marked by competing narratives about who bears responsibility for Henry's death.
The trial had originally been scheduled to hear from twenty-seven witnesses, but that number was reduced to twenty-three after both defense teams withdrew several names. Monique's lawyers dropped three witnesses, and Jairinho's team dropped one. The charges against both defendants are severe: homicide with multiple aggravating circumstances, torture, coercion during legal proceedings, fraud, and falsification of documents. According to the prosecution, Henry was subjected to beatings inside the apartment where he lived with his mother and Jairinho in Rio's West Zone. Monday's testimony from the three remaining experts will mark the end of the prosecution's case, moving the trial toward its conclusion.
Citações Notáveis
Henry was thrown forward and struck his head, crying out and complaining of pain— Pastor Miriam Santos Rabelo Costa, describing an alleged car accident involving Henry days before his death
She received instructions to delete messages and downplay any accounts of what had occurred within the household— Testimony of Henry's nanny, Thayná de Oliveira Ferreira
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does a car accident from days before matter now, in the seventh day of testimony?
Because the defense is building an alternative story—one where Henry's injuries came from an accident, not from what happened inside that apartment. If they can plant doubt about the source of his wounds, they undermine the prosecution's entire case.
The nanny said she was told to delete messages. Who told her that, and why would anyone do that?
That's the question the jury will have to sit with. Someone in that household wanted the record erased. Whether it was Monique, Jairinho, or someone protecting them—that's what the prosecution is trying to establish.
Jairinho's current wife testified that she hit him and he didn't hit back. Is that credible?
It's a calculated move. She's saying: this man doesn't respond to violence with violence. But the jury has to weigh that against what the nanny saw, what the ex-girlfriends described, and what a four-year-old boy's body showed when he arrived at the hospital.
What happens Monday?
Three experts take the stand—a psychiatrist, a doctor, and the pathologist who examined Henry. Their testimony will be clinical, precise, and difficult to dismiss. That's when the physical evidence speaks most clearly.
Does the car accident testimony actually change anything?
Only if the jury believes it. But a four-year-old doesn't die from hitting his head in a car. He dies from what the autopsy revealed. The defense knows that. They're just trying to create reasonable doubt.