Over 100 people gathered in front of Hospital Brasília de Águas Claras on Friday (January 30) to pray for the recovery of 16-year-old Rodrigo Helbingen Fleury Castanheira, who is in grave condition in the ICU after an assault. Family members expressed emotion at the support, as the aggressor, pilot Pedro Arthur Turra Basso, was placed under preventive arrest. The Public Prosecutor's Office highlights a pattern of collective violence in the case.
On the evening of January 30, an emotional vigil brought together over 100 people in front of Hospital Brasília de Águas Claras, in the Federal District, to send positive energy to 16-year-old Rodrigo Helbingen Fleury Castanheira. The teenager has been in grave condition in the ICU since January 23, when he was assaulted by 19-year-old pilot Pedro Arthur Turra Basso, resulting in severe cranial trauma and deep coma.
Rodrigo's family and friends joined strangers following the case through media reports. His aunt Iara Castanheira, a 47-year-old biomedical scientist, described the moment: “It's such a great outcry, so many good people praying, putting themselves in the parents' place. That's what's sustaining us.” Another uncle, 44-year-old physiotherapist Flávio Henrique Thorminn, came from Goiânia and said, with tears: “I didn't expect so many people; it's emotional to see. It shows how wonderful Rodrigo is.”
Student Louise Mendes, 18, organized the event with church friends, without knowing the boy: “I don't know him, but the story moved me. I didn't expect so many people to come.” Rodrigo recently responded to stimuli, but visits were suspended to avoid excessive emotion.
On the same day, Pedro Turra was placed under preventive arrest for grievous bodily harm. He had been detained on January 23 and released after paying a R$ 24,000 bail. The Public Prosecutor's Office of the Federal District and Territories (MPDFT) claims Turra acts in a group, filming assaults to sensationalize them on social media, with a history of at least three prior episodes, including coercing a teenager to drink alcohol and violent pursuits in 2025. There are indications of coordinated statements to claim self-defense, with vulnerable witnesses like minors. The MP stresses flight risk, interference in the investigation, and threat to public order, justifying the arrest as the only way to break the cycle of violence.
