The mother and stepfather of a little girl who tortured her to death when she refused to take a cold shower have been jailed together with a social worker who lied to cover up the scandal.
Little Mirella Dias Franco, 3, was admitted to the UBS (Basic Health Unit) in Alvorada‘s Jardim Aparecida neighbourhood, located in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, on May 31st, 2022.
The doctors were shocked at the condition of the child whose body was covered in multiple bruises. At the time of her admission, Mirella’s mother, Lilian Dias da Silva, and stepfather, Anderson Borba Carvalho Junior, said that she had hurt herself while playing.
However, subsequent medical examinations revealed that the injuries occurred over a long period of time and were incompatible with playground injuries.
The couple eventually admitted that they had started punishing her when she refused to take a cold shower because the device was broken and there was no warm water.
As a result, the mother and stepfather were arrested on 11th June 2022.
Judge Alexandre Del Gaudio Fonseca, from the 3rd Criminal Court of the District of Alvorada has now ordered the evil pair jailed.
Mother Lilian Dias da Silva, 25, was given 13 years and four months of imprisonment to be served in a closed prison facility. Stepfather Anderson Borba Carvalho Junior, 28, was jailed for 28 years and four months, primarily due to the aggravated charge of torture resulting in Mirella’s death.
In addition to the parental figures, guardianship counsellor Leandro da Silva Brandao, 37, has been sentenced to five years in a semi-open prison regime.
Brandao was found responsible for torture by omission and ideological falsehood, stemming from falsifying public documents related to Mirella’s care.
Furthermore, he has been disqualified from serving as a guardianship counsellor for the next 10 years. Brandao retains the right to appeal this verdict.
The trio has remained in custody since their arrests in June 2022.
