The stepfather who killed his stepson, two-year-old Henry Gabriel, in Quemados, Baixada Fluminense, was arrested on Monday evening. The action was carried out by civilian police officers from the 55th DP (Queimados), supported by military police officers from the 24th BPM, who arrested the suspect in the act. Paulo Cesar da Silva Santos, 23 years old, was arrested moments after the crime, as part of the unit’s investigative work.
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On Monday, around 12 noon, Paulo took Henry to Queimados UPA, where staff found bruises all over his body. Faced with this situation, the police and the Guardianship Council were called.
At the police station, Paulo Cesar admitted that he “slapped” and hit several parts of the boy’s body because he “soiled his diaper.” During the investigation, the police also collected photos and videos taken the same morning, which showed the child playing without bruises. Witnesses reported that the stepfather was aggressive, had actually beaten the victim on other occasions, and was a drug user and involved in drug trafficking in the São Simão community.
According to the agents, Quemados’ medical report recorded an extensive list of injuries found on the child’s body: multiple bruises in different areas, bilateral edema in the parietal region, variegated pupils, a bruise in the left half of the chest, a puncture wound in the left wrist, an extraction of tooth 72 with bleeding gums and an injury consistent with a shoe sole mark in the groin area.
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The criminal was charged with qualified murder. At the door of Detention Center No. 55, the child’s family saw Paulo Cesar da Silva Santos being transferred to the prison unit amid great fanfare. The relatives cried in despair and anger, and some of them punched the door of the car in which the accused was, while screaming at the stepfather. The scene was characterized by turmoil and strong emotions among those waiting outside the police station.
In an interview with RJTV, Police Chief Julio da Silva Filho said that the suspect claimed that he slapped and slapped him, but he did not inform the police of the extent of the assault he carried out against the child, attacks that caused the boy’s death.
The representative said: “She was afraid. The mother told us that the child was shaking and was very worried about Paolo’s presence. Therefore, we found a relationship in which he was actually persistent in attacking that child. And those who confirmed this behavior were the neighbors, because they heard him and the child screaming when the events happened.”