Henry Borel case: find out who Monique Medeiros is, accused of killing her son
The mother of the boy Henry Borel, Monique Medeiros, is one of the defendants in the process investigating the child's death, which occurred in March 2021, in Rio de Janeiro. The case gained national attention due to the severity of the injuries and the circumstances involving the mother and stepfather, former councilor Dr. Jairinho.
Monique is named by the Public Ministry of Rio de Janeiro as responsible for omission and indirect participation in the crime, by failing to prevent the attacks suffered by her son. According to the complaint, she had a legal duty to protect the child and, even so, she would have allowed the violence to continue.
Before the crime, Monique worked as a teacher and even held a management position in a public school. Later, she started working as an advisor at the Rio Municipal Court of Auditors.
She maintained a relationship with Henry's father, from whom she separated, and started dating Jairinho in 2020. Shortly afterwards, she started living with the councilor and her son in the same apartment, where the crime occurred.
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On the left Dr. Jairinho, on the right Monique Medeiros with her son Henry Borel - Arte/CNN
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Monique Medeiros at a hearing to hear witnesses in the process regarding the death of the boy Henry Borel - Photo: MARCOS PORTO/AGÊNCIA O DIA/AGÊNCIA O DIA/ESTADÃO CONTEÚDO
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Monique Medeiros at a hearing to hear witnesses in the process regarding the death of the boy Henry Borel - Photo: MARCOS PORTO/AGÊNCIA O DIA/AGÊNCIA O DIA/ESTADÃO CONTEÚDO
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Monique Medeiros, mother of Henry Borel and accused of omission in her son's death, installed an electronic ankle bracelet and was placed under house arrest, as established by the courts - CNN
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Monique Medeiros, mother of Henry Borel and accused of omission in her son's death, installed an electronic ankle bracelet and was placed under house arrest, as established by the courts - CNN
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Monique Medeiros, mother of Henry Borel and accused of omission in her son's death, installed an electronic ankle bracelet and was placed under house arrest, as established by the courts - CNN
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Arrest of former councilor Dr. Jairinho in the Henry Borel Case - ESTADÃO CONTÚDO
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Former councilor Jairo Souza Santos Júnior, known as Jairinho, in a hearing at the Court of Justice of Rio de Janeiro, in the center of Rio de Janeiro - Photo: PAULO CARNEIRO/PHOTOPRESS/ESTADÃO CONTEÚDO
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Dr. Jairinho, boyfriend of Monique Medeiros da Costa e Silva, mother of the boy Henry Borel, after giving a statement about the death of the 4-year-old boy - Tânia Rêgo/Agência Brasil
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According to Civil Police investigations, Henry was taken unconscious to the hospital by the couple, but arrived dead. Initially, Monique and Jairinho claimed that the child had suffered a domestic accident, a version later discarded by the expert.
The report from the Legal Medical Institute identified 23 injuries to the boy's body, including internal bleeding and ruptured liver, compatible with violent action and not an accidental fall.
Messages recovered from Monique's cell phone indicate that she had been warned by a nanny about attacks committed by her stepfather at least a month before the death. Even so, according to the investigation, the mother did not take measures to protect her son.
The Public Ministry maintains that Monique not only failed to act, but also acted to cover up the crime. She is accused of providing false information to the medical team to mask the attacks and avoid holding her partner accountable.
Among the crimes attributed to the mother are:
- Qualified homicide by omission
- Torture by omission
- Ideological falsehood
- Procedural fraud and coercion during the process
Five years after Henry's death, Monique and Jairinho will be tried by the Jury Court. In this type of process, seven jurors decide whether to convict or acquit defendants in intentional crimes against life.
The case remains one of the most emblematic in the country and even motivated the creation of the so-called "Henry Borel Law", which toughened punishments for crimes against children.
Monique's defense denies the accusations. The trial must analyze whether there was deliberate omission and participation in the dynamics of violence that led to the boy's death.
Henry Borel case: remember the murder of the boy who shocked the country
Source: CNN