Neighbors heard a young mother’s blood-curdling scream only to discover that her 6-month-old baby had been shot in the chest by his father. However, the case became even more disturbing once they discovered that it was all because she denied his simple request.
Most experts agree that the majority of problems married couples will face are based on three key issues: money, communication, and sex. While marriage comes with its own set of challenges, these seem to be the defining factors in most spouses’ disagreements.
For one young couple in Luziania, Brazil, their marriage was no exception. Tragically, it was how the woman’s husband decided to handle their confrontation that is absolutely gut-wrenching.
When neighbors heard 20-year-old Jeniffer Silva’s soul-piercing screams, they immediately called the police to investigate the matter. It was soon after that they discovered the couple’s baby boy had suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the chest. However, nothing could prepare them for the sickening reason for the innocent child’s gruesome murder.
According to Mirror Online, 25-year-old Maycon Salustiano Silva had shot his 6-month-old son in the chest with a .22 pistol when his wife Jeniffer refused to have sex with him, police confirmed. Baby Michel was pronounced dead at the hospital just two hours after the shooting.
Detective Daniel Martins Ferreira told local media: “We believe the suspect, in a moment of rage when he didn’t get what he wanted, shot the child at point blank range by resting the gun on the baby’s chest as he lay in the cot in his parent’s bedroom. The mother reported that her husband woke her up and wanted to have sex with her. She said she was tired and ‘did not want to.’ He apparently became irritated and physically assaulted her in the argument that followed.”
Maycon Silva threatened his wife, but that didn’t work.
In the middle of their argument, Maycon reportedly went to get some water. However, he returned with the .22 and pointed it at Jeniffer, saying that he was going to kill her. Failing to get the reaction he wanted, he then turned his attention to their infant.
“At first he allegedly threatened to kill Jeniffer. She begged her husband to stay calm, but he only became angrier,” Ferreira reported. “She claims he turned the gun on their son and pointed the gun at his chest while demanding if she believed he had the courage to shoot their child. Then he allegedly shot the baby.”
Adding to the bizarre and tragic details, Jeniffer allegedly passed out and woke up next to her dead child sometime later. Although neighbors say they heard her screaming, she doesn’t seem to remember anything before the moment she awoke.
“We don’t know why it took so long for an ambulance to be called out for the child, but the mother claims that after the shooting she blacked out and doesn’t know how long this was for,” explained Ferreira. “Jeniffer said she doesn’t remember screaming and we believe she must have been in a state of shock. When she came around she realised what had happened and called emergency services, but her child was already dead.”
Maycon had reportedly been drinking heavily and smoking marijuana before the murder, and he blames his actions on his intoxicated state. The weapon was discovered stuffed down in the cushions of their sofa a short time later by police.
Without wishing to be identified, a neighbor said: “She (the mother) was desperate, she could be heard screaming and shouting for help, then she suddenly stopped, and everything went quiet.”
Maycon was subsequently arrested and charged with manslaughter instead of murder, prompting outrage. He was also charged with domestic violence and the illegal possession of a weapon. He has no prior criminal record.
Jeniffer was questioned by the police and freed on the grounds that she was not involved in her son’s death. She has never been charged.
The couple has been described by relatives and friends as “lovely” and the “ideal couple.” However, the sinister set of events that unite them shatter these presumptions in an instant. That perfect couple on social media isn’t always who they appear to be.