For the second time this month, a Gwinnett County jury was unable to reach a verdict in the trial of a father accused of not protecting his 8-year-old daughter from his wife, who allegedly beat the girl to death earlier this year, according to officials.
Cledir Barros, 37, is charged with second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree cruelty to children after he allegedly waited too long to call for medical help after his daughter fell unconscious following the suspected beating, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
Barros’ wife, 34-year-old Natiela Barros, is charged with murder, aggravated assault and first-degree cruelty to children.
Gwinnett Superior Court Judge Karen Beyers declared a mistrial Wednesday afternoon after the jury let her know that they could not come to an agreement, Channel 2 Action News reported. Seven of them were leaning toward guilty, while five leaned toward not guilty.
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Beyers previously declared a mistrial Aug. 12 for the same reason.
The case began the morning of Jan. 30, when 8-year-old Sayra Barros was at home with her stepmother, the AJC reported. Sayra, who officials said was homeschooled due to alleged behavioral issues, got in trouble with Natiela Barros for playing with her toast at breakfast, according to police records obtained by the AJC. She’d already been spanked that morning, and Natiela Barros next grabbed a rolling pin to punish the child, officials said.
Sayra initially survived the beating but began to show signs she was seriously injured, according to a report from the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services. She asked her stepmother to go to the bathroom but was not allowed and ultimately soiled herself, the report said. Sayra then told Natiela Barros she wasn’t feeling well, went pale and lost consciousness, according to the report.
Instead of calling 911, Natiela Barros called Cledir Barros, according to the DFCS report. He told his wife to pray and then went home. When he arrived, he prayed over his unconscious daughter for between 10 and 20 minutes before calling for medical help, the report said.
Cledir Barros was initially indicted on a second-degree murder charge, but that count was dropped during his trial, Channel 2 reported. The jury was deliberating over whether to convict him on his remaining charges: two counts of second-degree cruelty to children.
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