Jairinho and Monique Move Toward Verdict as Henry Borel Trial Enters Final Phase

Overview

• Henry Borel died on March 8, 2021, and autopsy reports concluded the cause of death was internal hemorrhage from a liver laceration consistent with blunt-force trauma rather than an accidental fall.
• Multiple court-appointed and IML peritos told jurors that an accidental domestic fall is incompatible with the pattern and timing of Henry’s injuries, narrowing the dispute to cause and responsibility.
• The child’s former babysitter, Thayná de Oliveira Ferreira, told the court she lied earlier, said she will retract past statements, and testified she was instructed after Henry’s death to delete messages and minimize reports about the family.
• Defenses have challenged aspects of the forensic record by arguing resuscitation maneuvers or procedural flaws could explain or taint findings, but peritos in testimony disputed those explanations and defended the laudos’ conclusions.
• By June 1, 2026 the jury phase had heard about 20 witnesses and the court is set to end witness testimony, hear Monique’s and then Jairinho’s interrogations, and move quickly to closing arguments and a jury verdict, in what has become the longest recent jury trial in Rio de Janeiro.