Former Basketball Player Arrested for Allegedly Disfiguring Girlfriend

Natal, Brazil – Igor Eduardo Pereira Cabral, a former international basketball player, has been arrested for allegedly disfiguring his girlfriend’s face with 61 punches during an attack in an elevator on Saturday, July 26.

Authorities apprehended Cabral at the scene after a security guard witnessed the incident on CCTV and promptly contacted the police. The victim, Juliana Garcia, was taken to a local hospital with multiple fractures to her face and jaw.

Garcia is scheduled for surgery this week to repair extensive bone damage. Currently, she is unable to speak and communicates with law enforcement through written notes. Her solicitor, Caroline Mafra, stated, “She suffered multiple fractures to her face – not to mention, of course, the psychological scars left by such a violent experience.”

Cabral, 29, claims he experienced a “claustrophobic episode” during the incident. He alleged that Garcia provoked him by insulting him and ripping his shirt just before the attack in their apartment complex.

In contrast, Garcia, 35, reported that the altercation began when Cabral grew irrationally jealous over a benign text conversation she had with one of his friends. She chillingly recalled to officers, “He told me I was going to die and just kept hitting me non-stop.”

Cabral now faces charges of attempted femicide. He is known for representing Brazil in 3×3 basketball at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics held in Nanjing, China. Authorities have noted Cabral’s history of aggressive behavior, with Garcia previously accusing him of pushing her and causing severe psychological harm.

Their tumultuous two-year romance has been marked by a cycle of separations and reconciliations. Garcia admitted to police, “He’d been aggressive in the past, but I never thought it would come to this.” As investigations continue, the case highlights the severe impacts of domestic violence.