- Marcela de Sousa was beaten by her boyfriend on May 10 and died on Monday
- Igor Porto, who told police he fell at home while cleaning, was arrested Friday
A mother of a child who was allegedly beaten by her bodybuilder boyfriend died Monday night after spending more than a week hospitalized in Brazil, her family confirmed.
Marcela de Sousa, 31, was taken unconscious to the Santa Mônica Hospital on May 10 with trauma to both sides of her head and the base of her skull, as well as a fractured clavicle, eight broken ribs and multiple bruises on her body. .
Igor Porto told medical staff that he had fallen while cleaning his house in the central city of Aparecida de Goiânia.
The hospital had doubts about Prato’s explanation because the injuries were not compatible with the alleged accident and immediately alerted the police.
Investigators from the Goiás Civil Police visited the family home last week and found discrepancies with Prato’s explanation and arrested him on Friday, according to Brazilian news outlet G1.
Igor Porto (left) was arrested last Friday for allegedly beating his girlfriend, Marcela de Sousa (right), at her home on May 10 in the center of the city of Aparecida de Goiânia. The 31-year-old mother died from her injuries Monday night.
The Goiás Civil Police claimed that bodybuilder Igor Porto had previously beaten his ex-girlfriend and his current girlfriend, Marcela de Sousa, who died in a hospital on Monday night. De Sousa broke up with Porto and obtained a restraining order that he withdrew after the couple decided to give their relationship a second chance.
“According to him, she had convulsions and the injuries were caused by the fall,” said Goiás Civil Police Chief Bruna Coelho. “So, he bathed her and took her to the hospital, where she was immediately taken to surgery and then to the ICU.”
Coelho revealed that de Sousa had been a victim of domestic violence while the couple lived in Brasilia, the capital of the South American country.
He had been investigated for those incidents, as well as for the beating of his ex-girlfriend.
De Sousa obtained a protective order from Prato after the couple separated and later withdrew it when they reconciled.
Coelho said Porto had previously been investigated for fighting with a neighbor over his dog and a cash register employee at a supermarket.
“He was very explosive and aggressive,” the police chief said.
Coelho added that neighbors regularly heard Porto fighting with De Sousa in their condominium.
“These are fights for no apparent reason, which further demonstrates their explosiveness and aggressiveness,” he said.
Igor Porto told the hospital that his girlfriend, Marcela de Sousa, suffered a fall at their house while cleaning and that he bathed her before taking her to the medical center.
Porto appeared before a judge Monday hours before De Sousa’s death and remained in custody while facing a charge of attempted femicide.
Coelho filed a petition to transfer Porto’s custody to preventive detention.
“The defense of the investigated Igor Porto Galvão deeply regrets the death of Marcela Luise and will continue to speak only in relation to the investigations,” Porto’s lawyers, Thiago Ferreira and Gelicio de Morais, said in a statement on Tuesday.
‘Regarding the decree of preventive detention of Mr. Igor, from the point of view of the defense, the requirements of preventive detention are not met, that is, guaranteeing public order, guaranteeing criminal investigation or guaranteeing criminal execution.’
Porto’s defense said they plan to ask the judge to release him because he is not considered a flight risk.
‘Igor is a lawyer, is a Nutritionist and Physical Educator, has a fixed address, is a primary school student, at no time was there anything in the process that interfered with the proper development of the investigation,’ the lawyers said. “On the contrary, the Civil Police was at his home after hours to carry out tests, and he authorized it.”
