Axel Guilherme, aged 1 year and six months, died after suffering attacks; mother and stepfather are suspects Reproduction Baby Axel Guilherme's mother and stepfather go to the popular jury following a decision by the State Court. Both are defendants in the death of the 1-year-old boy. The baby was hospitalized with several marks of aggression in May 2025. The case took place in the Vicente Pinzón neighborhood, in Fortaleza. The attacks against the child occurred in the early hours of May 3rd. The boy was taken to Fortaleza General Hospital (HGF) by the suspects: his stepfather, Izaque de Sousa Alves, 25, and his mother, Wanderleia Costa Damasceno, 20. The two were arrested while still inside the hospital. g1 was unable to locate the defense of the two suspects to comment on the State Court's decision to take them to trial. ✅ Follow the g1 Ceará channel on WhatsApp Izaque and Wanderleia will be tried for qualified homicide, with a futile motive, a cruel means and a resource that made the victim's defense difficult or impossible; with aggravating factors due to the victim being under 14 years old (qualifier introduced by the Henry Borel Law) and being under the responsibility of both. The court also pronounced Wanderleia by default. Baby dies victim of attacks in Vicente Pinzón  Various attacks The boy was admitted to the health unit with bruises all over his body, a fractured skull, bleeding and in cardiorespiratory arrest. He died on May 6, after 3 days in hospital. Izaque's arrest in the act was converted into preventive detention, while Wanderleia was released by the courts upon compliance with precautionary measures. In the cadaveric report, the experts stated that Axel's death occurred due to "traumatic brain injury caused by blunt injuries with typical characteristics of cruelty and signs of torture, given the intense suffering due to possible punishment/intimidation". After completing the investigation, the Ceará Civil Police indicted Izaque for bodily injury and ill-treatment resulting in death, and Wanderleia for ill-treatment resulting in death. The Ceará Public Ministry (MPCE) received the investigation and charged the two with qualified homicide - that is, homicide with various aggravating factors. The MP also requested that the two be tried by the Jury Court. The court ordered the two defendants to be notified of the complaint. Izaque, who is in a prison in the municipality of Caucaia, was located. Wanderleia was not found at the address she said she lived at, and her whereabouts are unknown. Now on g1 The crime In a statement to the Police, the stepfather said that he had been with the boy's mother for around 7 months and that the three of them used to sleep in the same room. He stated that, on the day of the crime, he arrived home early in the morning to sleep and found the boy still awake. Izaque got nervous, hit the little one on the back and admitted that the blow "could have been very strong". Shortly afterwards, the boy began vomiting, convulsing and feeling sick. They then took the child to the hospital. The man also stated that, during the entire action, which took place between 3 and 4 am, Axel's mother would not have witnessed anything because she was washing clothes. Regarding the other bruises on the body, the two suspects said they came from falls the child suffered. Other witnesses interviewed by the Civil Police, however, highlighted that, since the beginning of Wanderleia's relationship with Izaque, the child constantly appeared with bruises. In his statement, the man even admitted that "he already hit his arm and other parts of his body to make him stop crying." Couple was arrested inside hospital unit. Reproduction Father asked for custody of child several times According to lawyer Gessica Maia, who represents the paternal family, in December 2024 the boy's biological father, Alex Eugênio, requested emergency guardianship of the child in court, claiming that he and his paternal grandparents took care of him and provided financial support. However, according to the father, the mother tried to prohibit them from seeing the baby. Furthermore, the mother would be neglecting the care of the child. The first request was denied by the Court in February 2025, and a conciliation hearing was scheduled between mother and father for April. The woman did not attend the hearing, and the father's lawyer filed a new custody request in the same month. The new request was also denied. On May 5, two days after Axel was hospitalized for the attacks, the father filed a third urgent request asking for custody of the child. On the 7th, the Public Ministry of Ceará issued a favorable opinion on the father's request for custody. The child, however, had died on the 6th. "The person is torn apart. Seeing your son intubated in bed is heartbreaking. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy," the boy's father, Alex Eugênio, told TV Verdes Mares. The family's lawyer, Gessica Maia, lamented the delay: "Axel Guilherme's father and grandparents provided all material assistance to the minor and only wanted to offer love and raise the child in safety and peace. But the judicial system is slow. Unfortunately, the worst happened." In a note issued at the time, the Ceará Court of Justice (TJCE) highlighted that there was no delay in analyzing the boy's custody requests and that there was only the "need to follow the legal procedures of the process". The ECJ also highlighted that "the two initial requests for replacement of custody of the child were analyzed, with a prior ministerial opinion, but were not granted, because at the time, the plaintiff did not present sufficient evidence that the minor would be in danger by remaining with the mother". Video shows couple being arrested in Papicu neighborhood Watch the most viewed videos from Ceará: