Couple convicted of torture in a clinic in the interior of SP legally moved to Portugal after the court denied the arrest requested by the MP

Understand why couple convicted of torture in clinic legally moved to Portugal The couple convicted of torture against inmates of a rehabilitation clinic in Ribeirão Preto (SP) legally moved to Portugal at the beginning of the process, after the Court denied a request for preventive detention made by the Public Ministry in 2014. The conviction only became final 12 years later, in June 2026, and the two were arrested the following month. Marluci Cabrera Bellini Henares, aged 49, and Djalma Antônio Henares Júnior, aged 56, were sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison. They were free to respond to the case because, according to prosecutor Haroldo Costa Filho, there was no warrant for their arrest when they left Brazil. "They were not at large, it was at the very beginning of the process. The Public Prosecutor's Office even tried to prevent this, but they were faster, they ended up traveling. The Public Prosecutor's Office even asked for preventive detention to be decreed, but it was not decreed", he said. Marluci and Djalma's defense team was contacted and informed that they will not comment on the arrests and conviction. ? Be part of the g1 Ribeirão e Franca channel on WhatsApp Djalma Antonio Henanes Junior, arrested in Portugal after being convicted of torture in a rehabilitation clinic in Brazil. Reproduction/EPTV Why did the process take 12 years? The interval between the beginning of the investigations and the arrests includes the investigation, the production of evidence in the first instance, the hearing of victims and the appeals presented by the defendants to the Superior Court of Justice (STJ), in Brasília. The investigation began in August 2014, after two former inmates and their mothers approached the Public Prosecutor's Office to report attacks and torture at the clinic, which operated in the Recreio das Acácias neighborhood. On the 5th of that month, the Public Ministry and the Civil Police carried out search and seizure warrants at the location. Ten patients were removed from the clinic, and agents seized pieces of wood, ropes and bands. Throughout the process, according to Costa Filho, 24 former inmates were interviewed and reported physical attacks, use of pieces of wood, punishments, forced ingestion of controlled medication and sexual violence. In January 2020, five and a half years after the operation, the process was still in the stage of producing evidence in the first instance, according to an order published in the Diário da Justiça. After conviction, the defendants appealed. The case reached the STJ, which confirmed the sentence in June 2026. With the final judgment, that is, when there are no more appeals, the Brazilian Court issued the arrest warrants. Investigations at a rehabilitation clinic in 2014 reported for torture in Ribeirão Preto (SP). AcervoEP READ MORE From assaults to sexual abuse: prosecutor details torture in clinic after arrest of couple in Portugal MP serves warrants in clinic for drug addicts suspected of torture 'Coming out of hell', says patient who claims to have been tortured in clinic What did they do during this period? After leaving Brazil, Marluci and Djalma started to live in Portugal. According to EPTV, an affiliate of TV Globo, Marluci taught zumba classes to residents in the Azores region. The prosecutor states that locating the couple in Portugal was difficult and only occurred with the collaboration of the Federal Police. “It was through other investigations in collaboration with the Federal Police that the Public Ministry was able to identify the addresses where they were, which made it possible to summon them to respond to the process,” said Costa Filho. With the definitive conviction, the names of Marluci and Djalma were included in Interpol's Red Diffusion, the international wanted list. From then on, they were considered fugitives. Arrests in Portugal Djalma was arrested on July 9, in Amadora, in the metropolitan region of Lisbon. The following day, he underwent a hearing and was detained. Marluci was arrested on July 17, on the island of São Miguel, in the Azores. The two are imprisoned in Portugal. The Public Ministry of Ribeirão Preto requested their extradition so that they can serve their sentence in Brazil. According to Costa Filho, the request is being processed through diplomatic channels, with the participation of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security. According to the prosecutor, prison time in Portugal already counts towards serving the sentence. Marluci Cabrera, convicted of torture in a rehabilitation clinic in Brazil Reproduction/EPTV Tortures in the clinic The rehabilitation clinic was the target of an action by the Public Ministry and the Civil Police in August 2014, after complaints made by former inmates and family members. According to the prosecutor, the reports showed attacks with punches and pieces of wood, inmates tied up and thrown on the floor, psychological punishments and forced use of controlled medication. “In this investigation alone, 24 former inmates were interviewed and all of them, unanimously, reported all the attacks that were carried out,” stated Costa Filho. The sentence, according to the prosecutor, took into account the continuity of the crimes and the number of victims recognized in the process. As the conviction is for the crime of torture, considered heinous, serving the sentence must begin in a closed regime. "They have no possibility of starting to serve this sentence in an open or semi-open regime. It must be closed," said the prosecutor. In addition to Marluci and Djalma, Angelo Bellini Neto, Djalma's nephew and clinic monitor, was also convicted and arrested in Cravinhos (SP), according to the Public Ministry. Rehabilitation clinic in Ribeirão Preto denounced in 2014 for torture against patients. AcervoEP See more news from the region on g1 Ribeirão Preto e Franca