Man sentenced to nearly 70 years in prison for rape and murder of baby in Porto Alegre

The Court of Justice of Rio Grande do Sul (TJRS) sentenced a 23-year-old man to 67 years and 10 months in prison for the rape and murder of his 1-year-old stepdaughter . The jury trial began on Wednesday morning (25), and the sentence was announced during the night.

The crime took place on February 5th of last year , in a house in the Lomba do Pinheiro neighborhood, in the east zone of Porto Alegre . The defendant was convicted of the crimes of rape of a vulnerable person and qualified homicide .

The criminal, who had been in a relationship with the girl's mother for about six months , was arrested and remains in prison. According to the complaint filed by the Rio Grande do Sul Public Prosecutor's Office (MPRS) , he took advantage of the fact that he was taking care of the child at his sister's house to commit sexual abuse and then strike and suffocate the victim. The girl was taken to a hospital unconscious, but did not survive her injuries.

The prosecution was led by prosecutors Eugênio Paes Amorim and Maura Lelis Guimarães Goulart . During the trial, Amorim highlighted the seriousness of the case:

"In Tuesday's trial, we will have the opportunity to learn about, experience and live the most intense human evil. A one-year-old girl was raped and abused by her stepfather. It is difficult to understand that a human being could do this, especially for those who do not serve on juries. But for those who are in the field, they know that, in their essence, human beings can be evil and do things that are hard to believe against, for example, nature, animals and even against their own species. Therefore, the MPRS will act in the jury so that this defendant is convicted with the maximum sentence."

Crimes and qualifiers

The defendant was convicted of the crimes of rape of a vulnerable person and qualified homicide , with the following qualifiers:

• Vile motive : use of sadism during sexual practice.
• Asphyxiation : The victim was killed by suffocation.
• Torture : the girl suffered a series of attacks and numerous injuries.
• Dissimulation : the criminal used the pretext of taking care of the baby.
• Resource that made it difficult for the victim to defend herself : the girl was brutally attacked while she was in her care, with no possibility of reaction or intervention from third parties.
• Gender-based femicide : the crime was committed against a female child.
• Victim under 14 years old : the girl was only 1 year old.
• Authority over the victim : the defendant was the stepfather and guardian of the child at the time of the crime.