An affront to the dignity of justice itself
Cinco anos após a morte de Henry Borel, de quatro anos, o tribunal do Rio de Janeiro que deveria finalmente julgar os responsáveis foi paralisado antes mesmo de começar — não por falta de provas, mas por uma retirada deliberada da defesa. A juíza Elizabeth Machado Louro respondeu com firmeza, reagendando o julgamento para 22 de junho, sancionando os advogados por desacato e ordenando a soltura provisória da mãe do menino, Monique Medeiros. O caso lembra que a busca por justiça raramente segue em linha reta, e que as famílias que aguardam respostas carregam o peso de cada adiamento.
- Os cinco advogados de defesa de Jairinho abandonaram o tribunal antes mesmo de a sessão ser aberta, alegando acesso incompleto a provas — um movimento calculado para forçar o colapso do julgamento.
- A juíza Elizabeth Machado Louro recusou-se a aceitar a manobra e suspendeu a sessão nos próprios termos, reagendando o julgamento para 22 de junho e declarando a conduta dos advogados como desacato ao tribunal.
- A equipe de defesa receberá uma conta expressiva: deverá arcar com todos os custos gerados pelo adiamento, incluindo deslocamento de promotores, jurados, testemunhas, funcionários do tribunal e equipes de segurança.
- A juíza ordenou a soltura de Monique Medeiros da prisão preventiva, considerando que a demora excessiva tornava sua detenção continuada manifestamente ilegal.
- Jairinho responde por três acusações de homicídio qualificado e tortura; Monique é acusada de homicídio qualificado por omissão — e ambos ainda enfrentam acusações de coação e fraude processual.
- A família de Henry aguarda respostas desde a manhã de 8 de março de 2021; o julgamento que deveria encerrar esse capítulo foi mais uma vez adiado.
O tribunal do Rio de Janeiro estava marcado para ouvir, na segunda-feira, os argumentos sobre a morte de Henry Borel — o menino de quatro anos que faleceu na manhã de 8 de março de 2021, no apartamento onde morava com a mãe e o padrasto no bairro da Barra da Tijuca. Mas o julgamento nunca chegou a começar.
Os cinco advogados de defesa de Jairinho abandonaram a sala antes que a juíza pudesse dar início à sessão, alegando não ter tido acesso completo a materiais extraídos de um caderno pertencente ao pai de Henry, Leniel Borel. Era uma manobra deliberada: forçar o colapso do processo e ganhar tempo.
A juíza Elizabeth Machado Louro não cedeu à estratégia. Ela suspendeu a sessão por conta própria, reagendou o julgamento para 22 de junho e declarou a conduta dos advogados como desacato. Mais do que isso: determinou que a equipe de defesa arcasse com todos os custos gerados pelo adiamento — deslocamento de promotores, jurados, testemunhas, funcionários, equipes de segurança e refeições. A juíza foi direta ao afirmar que o comportamento dos advogados violou os princípios que regem os procedimentos judiciais e os direitos tanto do réu quanto da família da vítima.
No mesmo dia, a juíza Louro ordenou a soltura de Monique Medeiros, mãe de Henry, da prisão preventiva. Segundo a magistrada, a demora excessiva tornava a detenção continuada manifestamente ilegal. Monique será liberada em liberdade provisória até o julgamento.
As acusações contra os dois réus permanecem graves. Jairinho, ex-vereador, responde por três acusações de homicídio qualificado e tortura. Monique é acusada de homicídio qualificado por omissão. Ambos também enfrentam acusações de coação e fraude processual. O caso mobiliza a atenção do Rio de Janeiro há anos, e as perguntas sobre o que aconteceu naquele apartamento seguem sem resposta — à espera de um julgamento que, agora, só acontecerá no fim de junho.
The courtroom in Rio de Janeiro was supposed to hear arguments on Monday about who killed Henry Borel. The boy was four years old when he died on the morning of March 8, 2021, in the apartment where he lived with his mother and her partner in the Barra da Tijuca neighborhood. He had been taken to a hospital, but he was already gone.
Instead of testimony and evidence, the trial never began. Jairinho's lawyers—five of them—walked out of the courtroom before the judge could call the session to order. They claimed they had not been given full access to materials extracted from a notebook belonging to Henry's father, Leniel Borel. It was a calculated move: abandon the proceeding, force a postponement, disrupt the machinery of justice itself.
Judge Elizabeth Machado Louro did not accept the strategy. She denied the defense's request to suspend the session and, when the lawyers left anyway, she suspended it herself—but not in the way they had hoped. She rescheduled the trial for June 22 and declared the defense team's conduct contemptuous. The five attorneys would pay for every cost the postponement created: the travel expenses of prosecutors, court staff, jurors, witnesses, police officers, contracted workers, security details, and meals. The bill would be substantial.
The judge's language was sharp. She said the lawyers' behavior violated the principles that govern court proceedings and the rights of the accused and the victim's family. She called it an affront to the dignity of justice itself. In her ruling, she ordered the defense to cover all damages caused by the delay.
That same day, Judge Louro made another decision. She ordered the release of Monique Medeiros, Henry's mother, from pretrial detention. The judge found that holding her any longer would be manifestly illegal—the delay in her case had become excessive and unreasonable. Monique would be freed on provisional liberty, pending trial.
The charges against both defendants remain serious. Jairinho, a former city councilman, faces three counts of qualified homicide and torture. Monique is charged with qualified homicide by omission—the legal term for a death caused by failure to act. Both face additional charges of coercion during the legal process and procedural fraud. The case has drawn intense attention in Rio de Janeiro, where questions about what happened in that apartment have lingered for years.
Now the machinery of justice will wait until late June. The defense team's gambit has bought time, but at a cost. The judge has made clear that the courtroom belongs to the law, not to the lawyers' strategy. When the trial resumes, the questions about Henry Borel's death will still be waiting to be answered.
Citações Notáveis
The custody of the defendant is manifestly illegal due to excessive and unreasonable delay in detention, which is why I order her release.— Judge Elizabeth Machado Louro, ordering Monique Medeiros freed
This conduct violates the principles governing court proceedings and the rights of the accused and the victim's family. I declare it contemptuous and an affront to the dignity of justice.— Judge Elizabeth Machado Louro, on the defense team's abandonment of the courtroom
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why would a defense team walk out of their own client's trial? That seems like it would hurt them.
It's a calculated risk. They were claiming they didn't have access to crucial evidence—a notebook from the father. By abandoning the courtroom, they force a postponement and create grounds for appeal later, arguing the trial was unfair from the start.
But the judge didn't see it that way.
No. She saw it as contempt. She said the conduct violated the principles of justice itself. That's language that signals she won't tolerate procedural games when a child's death is at stake.
What about Monique, the mother? Why was she released?
The judge found her detention had gone on too long without trial. It's a legal principle—you can't hold someone indefinitely before they've been convicted. The delay itself became the injustice.
So she's free now, but still facing charges?
Yes. Provisional liberty means she's released but remains under the case. She'll have to appear when the trial resumes in June. The charges don't disappear.
And the lawyers have to pay for everything?
All of it. Travel, meals, security, staff time. The judge is saying: if you disrupt the court, you pay for the disruption. It's both punishment and a practical consequence.
Does this change what happens in June?
It sets a tone. The judge has shown she won't tolerate obstruction. When the trial finally happens, both sides will know the court is serious about moving forward.