‘He failed’: Father left wife alone to use wooden rolling pin to beat their 8-year-old daughter to death for not doing homework, jury concludes

A Georgia father knew for over a year his wife was abusing his 8-year-old daughter Sayra Barros. Despite knowing this, 38-year-old Cledir Barros left the girl alone with his wife and Sayra’s stepmother, prosecutors said.

When Sayra did not do her homework, Natiela Barros allegedly became enraged and beat her to death with a rolling pin in late January. Both parents faced charges in connection with the child’s death, with the cases being tried separately and Cledir Barros’ case going first. After two previous trials ended in a mistrial because a jury could not come to a unanimous verdict, jurors in the third trial convicted Cledir Barros of second-degree cruelty to children, the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office said.

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A judge sentenced him to eight years in prison and two years probation.

“We extend our condolences to the three young girls who tragically lost their sister,” District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said in a statement. “This beautiful girl needed her father to protect her. He failed to do that.”

Prosecutors presented evidence at trial showing Cledir Barros had known since August 2022 that his wife was abusing Sayra. Teachers at her school, Harbins Elementary in Dacula, testified Sayra would come to class with noticeable injuries. The teachers reported those injuries to authorities. But when they questioned Barros about what was going on, he pulled her from the school. He then arranged for Natiela Barros to home-school her, prosecutors said.

Cledir Barros testified for about two-and-a-half hours at the latest trial, claiming he had no idea about the abuse.

“I’ve never seen any of my kids get injured from spanking ever,” he said, according to Atlanta Fox affiliate WAGA.

He also said he pulled her out of school because she was having issues there, but not at home. His defense lawyers pointed out he was not at home for much of the week leading up to the murder as he was out on the road working as a truck driver.

Despite the brutality of his daughter’s death, Cledir Barros said he forgave his wife in the immediate aftermath.

“At the moment of this incident, I forgave her simply because the spirit of God led me to forgive her, not consented to what she did, which was terrible,” Barros said.

Natiela Barros is charged with murder, aggravated assault and child cruelty. Her case is still pending,

As Law&Crime previously reported, the Gwinnett County Police Department said in a press release that officers responded to a medical call at a home in the 300 block of Vine Springs around 2:15 p.m. on Jan. 30.

Officers said Natiela Barros had been alone with Sayra when she became unresponsive. Barros called her husband who came to the home and started CPR before calling 911, according to authorities. After officers arrived, paramedics pronounced the girl dead on scene. Homicide detectives were called to investigate “given the circumstances” of the death. They interviewed the adults at the home.

Cops arrested both parents in the days after the incident. Citing an arrest affidavit, WAGA reported Natiela Barros beat the girl “with a wooden rolling pen 10 to 20 times, refusing to get her medical care afterwards.” The affidavit said she hit the girl in several areas including the neck.

Before his arrest, Cledir Barros spoke with Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB.

“I can’t even put into words, you know, something that came upon her, she just lost control went above and beyond. I don’t know,” he said.

One neighbor said she never saw any violence at the Barros home.

“Shocked, completely shocked,” she told WAGA.

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