Mother and stepmother go to jury for the death of boy Miguel in Rio Grande do Sul

Starting this Thursday (04), Yasmin Vaz dos Santos Rodrigues, aged 28, and her partner, Bruna Nathiele Porto da Rosa, aged 26, respectively, will be tried in Tramandaí, on the North Coast of Rio Grande do Sul. and stepmother of the boy Miguel dos Santos Rodrigues.

The two were charged by the Public Ministry of Rio Grande do Sul for the beating and death of their son and stepson, aged seven at the time, in Imbé, also on the North Coast of the state. Miguel disappeared in July 2021.

Yasmin and Bruna, who are in prison, are charged with triple homicide, torture and concealment of a corpse. The qualifiers are a clumsy motive, a cruel means and a resource that made it difficult for the victim to defend himself.

The trial is expected to last two days. After the draw of the seven jurors, early on Thursday morning, the testimony of nine witnesses, for the prosecution and defense, will take place and then the interrogations of the two defendants. The next stage will have the accusation and defense debates, with two and a half hours for each party to present their thesis. Then follows the reply and rejoinder, lasting up to two hours each.

Remember the case

According to the Public Ministry’s complaint, Miguel was killed by the couple between the 26th and 29th of July 2021. The death would have been the result of physical aggression, insufficient food, use of inappropriate medication and omission of health care for the victim .

Afterwards, his body would have been placed inside a suitcase and thrown into the Tramandaí River. Miguel’s body was not found. According to the prosecutor’s office, the reason for the murder was that the boy was disrupting his mother and stepmother’s relationship.

In the complaint, the prosecutor says that in the days leading up to the crime, the two women would have subjected the child to intense physical and mental suffering, as punishment for seeking affection, care and attention.

Still according to the Public Ministry, Miguel was locked with his hands tied and immobilized with chains and padlocks inside a small wardrobe for long periods. When he managed to free himself, they tied him up again.

In the complaint, the Public Ministry argues that the women allowed Miguel to eat only when they wanted. He was also forced to relieve himself inside the wardrobe, including being compelled to clean it as punishment.

The prosecution reports that the boy was forced to repeatedly write derogatory phrases against himself, such as “I’m an idiot”, “I’m a thief”, “I’m bad”, “I’m cruel”, “I’m evil”, “I’m no good”, among others.

Lawyer Thais Constantin, responsible for Yasmin’s defense, said that Miguel’s mother must confess to committing the crime. The defense stated that it will not ask for the defendant’s acquittal.

“The technical work to be carried out aims to comply with the legal guarantees and formalities provided for by the Federal Constitution and criminal law rules. Our bench will work so that the Sentencing Council decides based on its free conviction, based on a critical look at each piece of evidence in the case file”, points out the lawyer.