Three violent deaths of pregnant women were recorded in a two-week period in Espírito Santo. Two of the crimes were classified as femicides, as the suspects had some connection with the victims. In the third case, a twist cleared the husband of one of them after he was arrested as a suspect.
The cases alone already attract a lot of attention, but they also involved a little-known crime, classified as abortion committed by a third party without the pregnant woman's consent.
Provided for in article 125 of the Brazilian Penal Code, the crime consists of causing the termination of a woman's pregnancy against her will or without her knowing.
In other words, when a pregnant woman is murdered and the baby dies as a result, the Court does not consider that there was a double homicide, but rather a homicide or femicide of the woman that also resulted in an abortion that the victim did not consent to.
Laydiane case
The first crime took place on October 3, in Pedro Canário, in the North of Espírito Santo. Laydiane Lacerda da Silva, 33 years old, was five months pregnant and was found dead inside her home with stab marks on her neck. On the date of the crime, his partner Rafael Alves, aged 29, was arrested for feminicide.
Rafael was imprisoned until the case went through a twist. Thirteen days later, a man identified as Adriel de Jesus Sena, aged 21, was arrested for attempted robbery and rape and confessed to having killed Laydiane, according to the Military Police. The motivation for the crime was not disclosed.
With the arrest of the new suspect, Rafael was released by the courts after spending 18 days in prison. Until the publication of this report, the case remained under investigation by the Civil Police.
Juliana case
After being missing for two days, Juliana Paulo Pinto, 29 years old, was found dead in the rural area of Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, in the south of the state, on October 14th. According to the Civil Police, the woman was dismembered and her body was charred.
Her ex-husband, Diego Marques Alves, and his current fiancée, Geovana Maria Vieira, were arrested red-handed for concealing a corpse. The suspect confessed to the crime and stated that he killed his ex-partner because of 'disagreements and legal problems'.
In addition to her four-month pregnancy, Juliana was the mother of an 11-year-old boy, son of her ex-husband Diego. She had been married for six months to her current partner, Stéfano Moreno, and the couple planned to have a gender reveal tea to find out the sex of their first child.
The case is being investigated as feminicide and the police also requested the temporary arrest of those investigated for the crime of abortion without consent, which is being analyzed by the courts.
Ily Leidimara case
Six months pregnant, Ily Leidmara Roncon Dias, aged 24, was shot dead in front of her children, aged 4 and 7, in Nova Venécia, in the northwest of the state, in the early hours of October 19. The Civil Police names Ângelo Gabriel Albano dos Santos, 23 years old, as the main suspect.
After an argument, the suspect looked for a gun in the car, shot Ily and fled. The case is being investigated as femicide and abortion caused without the pregnant woman's consent. Ângelo's preventive detention was requested from the Court and, until the publication of this report, he remained at large.
According to the Civil Police, the person being investigated has previous records of domestic violence against the pregnant woman and was already free to respond to a case for attempted murder against military police officers.
Investigations into the three cases mentioned are still ongoing.
Similar case in 2024
Íris Rocha, 29 years old, was shot dead and her body covered with lime in January 2024 in Alfredo Chaves, in the south of the state. A resident of Serra, in Greater Vitória, the nurse was eight months pregnant and was expecting a girl named Rebeca. She also left behind an 8-year-old son.
The victim's boyfriend, Cleilton Santana dos Santos, was arrested about a week after the death and confessed to the crime, saying he was sorry.
According to the Civil Police, the crime was motivated by Cleilton's doubts about the baby's paternity. However, the DNA test confirmed that Rebeca was his daughter. In December 2025, Cleilton was sentenced to 37 years in prison.
Abortion without the pregnant woman’s consent
Crimes have another point in common, which is their classification. The three most recent cases were identified as the crime of abortion committed by a third party, without the pregnant woman's consent.
The Brazilian Penal Code provides for three types of crimes involving abortion. The first is self-abortion or abortion with consent, which appears in Article 124 and consists of 'inducing the abortion in oneself or allowing another person to cause it'.
In other words, when the pregnant woman carries out an abortion alone or with the help of another person, who may or may not be a health professional. The penalty is one to three years in prison.
Article 125 of the Penal Code talks about abortion committed by a third party, without the pregnant woman's consent, with a prison sentence of three to ten years. This happens when a pregnant woman is deceived and induced to have an abortion, without her wish, or when a pregnant woman is murdered.
Article 126 makes abortion caused by a third party with the consent of the pregnant woman a crime. In other words, when a person assists or induces an abortion in a pregnant woman, with her permission.
Finally, according to Article 127 of the Penal Code, the penalty is increased by one third if, during the abortion, the pregnant woman suffers serious bodily injury. In case of death, the penalty is doubled.
Origin and impact of violence
According to Hosana Dall’Orto, lawyer, researcher and doctoral candidate in Law at the Federal University of Espírito Santo (Ufes), four common factors can help explain the roots of violence against women in society.
Historical inequality between men and women: assigned positions of authority to men and roles of submission, care and tolerance to women.
Naturalization of control: behaviors such as deciding who a woman can talk to, controlling clothes, money and location are still confused with concern or love.
Culture of possession: women are treated as someone who does not have the autonomy to end a relationship or rebuild their own lives.
Social and institutional tolerance to early violence: when threats, persecution and psychological aggression are minimized, violence is allowed to evolve.
In addition to the women who die, femicide also leaves other victims, which can be children, parents, brothers and other family members. In cases where the victim was pregnant, the family may face a double loss: of the woman and the expected baby.
According to the expert, pregnancy also increases economic dependence, makes it difficult to leave home, intensifies partner control, generates conflicts over parenting, increases women's concerns about their other children and reduces the support network, which also facilitates the formation of violence scenarios.
"Therefore, femicide is not born from 'excessive love', it is born from inequality, control and denial of women's autonomy", highlighted the lawyer.
Services help victims
Civil Police
In case of emergency, women can call 180 and call the police. Espírito Santo also has 13 Specialized Women's Service Stations (Deam).
Click Delas — Public Defender’s Office of Espírito Santo
The Public Defender's Office of Espírito Santo offers Click Delas, a free digital channel to request protective measures, without the need for a police report.
The service is provided remotely by the Center for the Defense of Women's Rights (Nudem) on the first business day after registration, with legal guidance and necessary referrals, including shelter in cases of risk of death and access to health, social assistance and public safety services. It is also possible to seek assistance in person.
Women's Service Center (NAM)
Lawyer Hosana is also a professor at the Women's Assistance Center (NAM), at the University of Vila Velha (UVV), which offers legal and psychological assistance to women in situations of violence. Just call (27) 3421-2252.
