A former basketball player who was arrested for the savage beating of his girlfriend is now begging a court to allow him to be placed in solitary confinement over fears for his safety.
Igor Cabral, 29, flew into a jealous rage July 26 when he confronted his girlfriend, Juliana Soares, 35, and punched her 61 times in the elevator of a condominium in Natal, a city in northeastern Brazil.
Cabral, who is facing an attempted murder charge, claimed in a letter submitted by attorney this week that he wanted to be kept away from the general population at the Parnamirim Reception and Triage Center.
In the motion, Cabral claimed that he wanted to be separated from the six other detainees he is currently sharing a jail cell with to ‘preserve his life and physical integrity.’
The Rio Grande do Norte Penitentiary Administration secretariat told O Globo newspaper that Cabral is scheduled to be transferred to a prison ‘by the end of this week, or at the beginning of next week.’
The secretariat explained that Cabral is currently undergoing physical and mental health evaluations and an ‘adaption period’ to the jail system.
‘[He] is not in a ‘normal’ collective cell, he is in one known as ‘insurance cell,’ the official said. ‘That’s why he has six prisoners, in the others there are more, at least ten.’
His attorneys argued in the court filing that Cabral should be kept away from the rest of the prisoners because a list of home addresses linked to him had been recently published on social media and that a criminal faction had issued threats against him.
Former Brazilian basketball player Igor Cabral petitioned before a court this week in the northeastern state of Rio Grande do Norte to kept away from the general jail population because he fears for his life. The 29-year-old was arrested July 26 after he was caught on video punching his girlfriend, Juliana Soares, 61 times following an argument
Juliana Soares (pictured) revealed that she was confronted by her boyfriend Igor Cabral after she received a text message while they were hanging out at pool in a condominium in the northeast city of Natal on July 26 before Cabral punched her repeatedly in an elevator while they were returning to the apartment
Family members distanced themselves from him by releasing a statement indicating they did not share any ‘responsibility to the acts committed by’ him.
The Rio de Grande do Norte Civil Police said the couple at a barbecue with friends before Cabral beat Soares.
“They were having a barbecue, having a get-together with friends. That’s when he asked to see her cell phone,” police chief Victoria Lisboa said, as quoted by Brazilian news outlet G2.
“She showed him her phone and said the messages were nothing special, just her own words. That’s when he became jealous and wanted to talk to her,” Lisboa said while adding that Cabral tossed Soares’ phone into the pool.
Video footage of the assault showed Soares standing in an elevator corner opposite Cabral and appearing to make a point during a conversation when Cabral suddenly rushed at her and punched her three times before she fell to the floor.
Cabral leaned over a defenseless Soares and continued to punch her for nearly 35 seconds before she stood up on her own with her face covered in blood.
The elevator then stopped before the couple walked out together.
The building security watched the incident on camera and rushed to help, with residents then helping restrain Soares until the Military Police arrived.
Soares was taken to Walfredo Gurgel Hospital, where she was treated for multiple facial fractures.
She was scheduled to undergo reconstructive surgery Tuesday, but doctors canceled the procedure after they detected an edema, or fluid buildup, on her face.
The young woman, who is recovering at home, addressed the incident for the first time Tuesday.
‘I have access to my Instagram profile and I appreciate all the solidarity and love everyone is offering me right now,’ she wrote on her Instagram Stories.
‘It’s a very difficult time and I need to focus on my recovery. Thank you to all my friends who are being my support network right now.’
Cabral initially said in a police statement that he attacked Soares because of a disagreement.
Elevator’s surveillance camera showed Juliana (top right) talking to Igor, her boyfriend, moments before he punched her 61 times during a span of almost 40 seconds
Cabral was part of the Brazilian 3×3 national team at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China, and played in the National Basketball League
Soares will have to undergo reconstructive surgery as a result of the multiple facial fractures she suffered
Soares told Record TV that they were in the pool of the building when she received a text message moments she was attacked in the elevator.
After walking out the elevator, she said they took separate elevators to the apartment and declined to leave the apartment to return to their home in Curitbá – a city in the southern state of Paraná – because she was afraid, which angered Cabral even more.
‘He said I was going to die and started beating me,’ she said.
‘I didn’t black out, but I also wasn’t conscious enough to remember what he said at that moment.’
Cabral was part of the Brazilian 3×3 national team at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China.
He had previously played in the the National Basketball League.
