Gilmar Mendes maintains the preventive detention of former councilor Jairinho

Minister Gilmar Mendes, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), decided to maintain the preventive detention of former Rio de Janeiro councilor Jairo Souza Santos Júnior, Dr. Jairinho. He is accused of having killed, in March 2021, the 4-year-old Henry Borel, who was the son of Monique Medeiros, then the former parliamentarian’s girlfriend.

Gilmar Mendes denied a request for habeas corpus made by Jairinho’s defense. The same request had been made to the Superior Court of Justice (STJ), which, in August last year, placed Monique Medeiros on parole. The former councilor’s lawyers asked that this right also be extended to him, which was denied.

In rejecting habeas corpus, Gilmar Mendes cited the STJ’s own understanding, in the sense that Jairinho’s legal situation is “entirely different” from the situation of his ex-girlfriend.

That’s because Jairinho is accused of having physically attacked the boy, causing injuries that led to his death. The boy’s mother, in turn, is accused of omission, since, according to the understanding of Justice, she could have avoided the aggressions to the child, but she did not.

Former councilor denies killing the boy

In June of last year, Jairinho denied, in a statement, that he had killed Henry Borel. He said the death was accidental.

“I definitely swear to god I never touched any kids. My history does not allow me to say that. My family is based on love, I never got hit by my father and mother. I always tried to do the right thing”, said the former councilor at the Forum in Rio de Janeiro.

(Posted by Fábio Munhoz)