GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — On Monday, the third trial of a Gwinnett County father who is facing charges in connection to his daughter's death concluded.
A jury finally reached a verdict in the third trial of 37-year-old Cledir Barros. He was found guilty of a second-degree child cruelty charge in his daughter Sayra Barros' death. Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said he was convicted for allowing his wife to continue a pattern of abuse that led to his daughter's death.
Gwinnett County Judge George Hutchinson also sentenced him to a maximum of 10 years, with eight years to serve in confinement and the last two for probation. He also got credit for time served.
Cledir Barros was ordered to have no contact with the remaining children.
“We extend our condolences to the three young girls who tragically lost their sister,” said Austin-Gatson. “This beautiful girl needed her father to protect her. He failed to do that.”
It comes after two separate, previous juries could not decide to convict Cledir Barros, leading to deadlocked juries. The judge agreed to declare a mistrial in both trials, leading to the third one.
His wife, Natiela Barros, is facing murder charges in the case. The district attorney accused Natiela, Sayra's stepmother, of beating her to death with a rolling pin because she was playing with food instead of doing her homework.
Gwinnett County Police accused Cledir Barros of knowing about a pattern of abuse in the home but failing to report it.
Barros took the stand during his second trial, saying he did not know about any abuse because he was a truck driver and was only home two days a week.
According to the district attorney's office, jurors learned from Cledir Barros that he knew about the abuse since August 2022.
"Teachers from Harbins Elementary School in Dacula testified during the trial that, when Sayra came to class injured, the teachers reported those injuries out of concern for her safety," the district attorney said in a news release.
The 8-year-old was under the stepmother's care and homeschooled at the time of the incident. Cledir testified during the previous trial, where he stated that Sayra was pulled out of school for behavioral issues.
Cledir Barros testified that on the day of the incident, he was on the road driving his truck when he got a phone call from the stepmother that his daughter was "gone" and that she was going to harm herself.
In the first trial, Cledir Barros was questioned several times about his response to the incident and why he did not call 911 as soon as he learned about his daughter's death.
It's unclear when his wife, who is accused of killing her stepdaughter Sayra, will face trial.