GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A grand jury returned an indictment Thursday charging a father and stepmother with murder in the death earlier this year of an 8-year-old girl allegedly at the hands of the stepmother beating her with a wooden rolling pin.
Gwinnett District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson announced the indictment Friday morning for 37-year-old Cledir Barros and 34-year-old Natiela Barros in the death of the girl, Sayra Barros. The DA also provided new details into the girl's death, including that the stepmother allegedly beat Sayra for playing with her toast at breakfast instead of starting schoolwork.
Natiela faces charges of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault and cruelty to children. Cledir faces second-degree murder and two counts of child cruelty.
“These defendants were supposed to protect and care for Sayra Barros. That was their primary responsibility as parents,” Austin-Gatson said in a statement. “No child deserves the treatment that Sayra was exposed to, and our SVU team will work diligently to ensure that these defendants face justice for what they did.”
Arrest warrants in the case allege Natiela violently assaulted the girl "while angry," striking her with the rolling pin 10-20 times. The warrants accuse Barros of hitting her in multiple areas, including the neck, and then "refusing to get her medical care," which "resulted in her death."
In a release, Austin-Gatson provided provided some of the first details made public about the alleged beating, saying Natiela was angry with Sayra "for playing with her toast during breakfast and not beginning to do her school work after giving the child an initial spanking."
"When the stepmother discovered that Sayra was not on task, she went to the kitchen to retrieve a wooden rolling pin. Natiela Barros returned and began striking the child near the back of neck between 10 and 20 times. She stopped once she believed she had gone too far. Sayra said she felt ill, and eventually lost consciousness," the DA's release said.
The DA also alleges Natiela called Cledir, the girl's father, at work and he "told his wife to pray" and then he came home.
"She then called a friend and a priest," the release said. "When Cledir Barros arrived, he prayed over the unconscious child for between 10 and 20 minutes before calling 911 for emergency medical aid."
When emergency medical services arrived, the child was pronounced dead on scene, officials said back in January.
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