In early April 2014, Daryel Menezes, a father and martial arts coach, decided to
turn himself in to the police after raping and murdering his infant son. The man
had no idea of the horrific punishment he would receive from his fellow inmates
in prison.
The horrible crime.
On March 27, 2014, Daryell Menezes Xavier Dickson, a resident of Taguatinga, a
satellite city of Brasilia, Brazil, and a Jiu-Jitsu coach, committed one of
the most heinous crimes possible: he raped his stepson Miguel Estrela, aged 1
year and 11 months, and then struck him on the head to end his life.
The child had suffered head trauma and anal fissures. As a result, two days
after being admitted by healthcare professionals, he succumbed to his injuries
and sadly passed away on March 29.
On April 1, after being sentenced to temporary imprisonment, Daryell Menezes
decided to turn himself in accompanied by his lawyers. At the time of his
arrest, Menezes told his ex-wife that he was possessed by the devil when he
committed the cruel abuse and murder.
According to the investigation, the defendant was inside the residence when he
began attacking the child, who suffered seizures.
The brutal punishment.
After confessing the terrible crime, Daryel was transferred to Taquatinga
prison, where he said that he was a jiu-jitsu instructor and that if anyone
did anything to him, it would end “very badly.”
Once behind bars, what happened next would be considered by many to be justice
served. The prisoners decided to apply their own law as punishment, brutally
raping him in several rounds over several days, with 20 prisoners taking part.
The man suffered injuries all over his body, with the most serious ones in the
anal region. Unsatisfied and still furious about the crime committed by the
teacher, the inmates opened the stitches he had received and raped him again.
The bloodstains on the back of the young man's underwear are proof of how much
he suffered.
As the case went viral, the child's mother, Gabrielle Estrêla, spoke out on
social media:
“Now, at this moment, I open my mouth for nothing! I began to seek justice
for my peace, for my own heart”.
“I gave my life and my son to take care of this man. I believed in his love
and kindness. I supported him, I loved him, and I accepted his faults
without knowing that it was something much worse”.
Conviction.
The trial did not take place until June 2015. At the hearing, it was the first
time Xavier decided to speak.
First, the man claimed that he remained silent on the advice of his defense
team and stated that he had not participated in the crime. However, the
authorities had concrete evidence, which led to the defendant being sentenced
to 22 years and 8 months in prison. In addition, it was discovered that in
2008, Xavier had links to drug trafficking.
After the trial and the attacks, Xavier was transferred to the Papuda Prison
Complex, located in São Sebastião, São Paulo, Brazil.
