Brazilian teenager killed his mother after asking the police for help in Portugal

The victim was Gabriela Barbosa, a 33-year-old Brazilian from Osasco, in Greater São Paulo. She has lived in Portugal since February 2024 with her two children, the teenager and a 4-year-old girl. The family had left Brazil in search of, among other reasons, safety and better educational conditions for the children.

Gabriela died on Wednesday night (12), inside the family apartment in Algés, in the municipality of Oeiras, metropolitan region of Lisbon. The son presented himself to the Portuguese authorities the following day and reported that he had argued with his mother before applying a blow known as a "rear-naked choke" to her. The Judiciary Police is investigating the circumstances of the homicide.

What started to raise questions in Portugal is the history prior to the crime. The two children had been monitored by protective services since 2024, the father was in preventive prison on charges related to violence within the family and the teenager himself had already sought out authorities to report what he said was happening at home.

Teenager tried to report his mother before the crime

About two weeks before Gabriela's death, the young man sought out a unit of the Public Security Police (PSP) to try to file a complaint against his mother, as revealed by the Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manhã this Monday (17).

According to the publication, the teenager claimed to have records of death threats and intended to formalize a complaint. As he was 15 years old, he was informed that he would need to be accompanied by an adult to carry out the procedure. In a conversation later published by the newspaper, a police officer also advised the teenager to get in touch again during office hours.

The episode occurred in the last days of July, shortly before the murder. The newspaper states that the teenager was already showing frustration because he felt that the records previously presented had not provoked a response capable of changing his family situation.

The young man had also asked to leave his home and be institutionalized, according to information released by the Portuguese press. Correio da Manhã states that he reported attacks on his 4-year-old sister and said he feared for the child's safety. Audios and other records would have been sent to the services responsible for protecting minors.

Days before Gabriela's death, the teenager would have participated, alongside his mother, in a meeting with a social worker related to family support.

Brazilian family has been accompanied since 2024

The problems inside the residence were already known to the Portuguese authorities.

The Commission for the Protection of Children and Young People (CPCJ) of Oeiras confirmed that it opened protection processes involving the two brothers in 2024 due to the family's fragile situation. In November of that year, a child support measure was implemented with their parents.

The case later went to court. According to information provided by the CPCJ to RTP, there was non-compliance with the established measures and, in June 2025, the two children began to be legally monitored by the Cascais Family and Minors Court.

The Judicial Court of the West Lisbon District also reported that there had been, since 2025, a promotion and protection process related to the brothers. In January 2026, a new agreement was signed, which provided for a measure of support for children with their mothers.

Therefore, when the homicide occurred in August, the situation of that family had already been reviewed by the CPCJ, the Public Ministry and the Portuguese judicial system.

Children's father is in pre-trial detention

The father of the teenager and girl is also being investigated in another case related to violence within the family.

According to the Judicial Court of the West Lisbon District, he has been in pre-trial detention since October 15, 2025 and was pronounced, a stage of Portuguese Justice equivalent to the decision to take the accused to trial, for the crimes of domestic violence and aggravated rape. The trial is scheduled for September 15.

He has not yet been convicted of these crimes.

Reports published by the Portuguese press indicate that Gabriela had faced serious episodes of violence in her relationship before her husband's arrest. After his arrest, she remained in Portugal with her two children.

Police investigate reports of child abuse

After the homicide, the Judiciary Police itself confirmed that the family history became part of the investigation.

In a statement, the institution stated that the context of the crime "will be related to possible physical and psychological abuse" carried out by the victim against her two children. The formulation used by the police indicates that this is a line of investigation, and not a definitive conclusion about the facts.

In recent days, Portuguese vehicles have also released videos and audio recorded inside the residence. According to these reports, part of the material was produced by the teenager to document episodes of violence and presented to those responsible for monitoring the children.

The records added pressure for authorities to explain what information they had received before Gabriela's death and what actions were taken based on it.

What happened on the day of Gabriela's death

According to information provided by the PSP and the Judiciary Police, the teenager reported that he argued with his mother on Wednesday (12). During the night, he allegedly applied the strangulation blow that caused her death inside the apartment in Algés.

The 4-year-old sister was also at the residence.

The teenager remained at the property until the next day. At around 5:35 pm on Thursday (13), he contacted