Six people stood trial at the Antwerp Assize Court over the death of a 14-year-old boy whose body stayed in a bed at a house for nearly two months, as those living there thought extensive prayer could bring him back to life.
It has been more than four years now since Jairon Manuela was found dead in a villa in Turnhout, in the Antwerp province, on 25 February 2022.
The trial began on Friday. The boy's father, Rennlhij Manuela, 47, and five other adults who lived in the villa, are being tried for murder. All six still live in the same house where the teenager's body was discovered, according to information presented to the jury, Flemish media report.
Jairon is believed to have died during the night of 3 to 4 January 2022. However, none of the adults living in the house contacted a doctor following his death. They reportedly believed that through sufficient, extensive prayer, the teenager would return to life.
The discovery followed repeated attempts by the boy's mother, Danica, who is separated from Rennlhij Manuela, to find out what had happened to her three sons, who were living with their father. She contacted the police in February 2022 after going more than two months without hearing from them.
Attempts to contact their father were met with excuses about the children's whereabouts, while their school in Tilburg, in the Netherlands, told her they had not attended for months. Their father had reportedly told the school that their education would continue at home.
During an initial police visit to the house, officers stayed at the door and were told that the three children had gone back to the Netherlands and were in good health.
Danica continued to raise her concerns, leading police to return to the house on 25 February. Jarion's body was found in a bedroom on the first floor, covered by a duvet and already in an advanced state of decomposition.
Four adults and six children were reportedly inside the house when police discovered the body. Jairon's two brothers were among them and were found in good health.
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Pentecostal faith
The three men and three women living in the villa presented themselves as one family and were linked through their Pentecostal faith, with a strong emphasis on spiritual gifts.
Jairon's father, a former leader of an evangelical religious community, reportedly held a dominant position within the household.
Jairon's mother told detectives that the man had appointed himself leader of their religious community in 2006 after its previous leader left. She said she later became concerned about his growing control over group members and eventually left him.
Jairon's mother, Danica Neyda, arrives at Antwerp's Assize Court on Friday 11 September 2026 for the first day of the trial of Rennlhij Manuela and five other residents accused of murdering her 14-year-old son. Credit: Belga
According to the investigation, Jairon had been ill for several weeks and was suffering from Covid-19. His condition deteriorated, but the adults in the house did not seek medical assistance.
He was reportedly given paracetamol and liquid food and kept in a separate room. As his condition worsened in early January, those around him continued to hope that divine intervention would help him recover.
The residents later told investigators that the severely weakened teenager had fallen in the bathroom and hit his head. He stopped breathing the following night.
None of the adults called a doctor after his death.
In his first statement, Jairon's father said he had gone into denial and hoped his son would still return with God's help. The other residents also reportedly believed Jairon could be resurrected through prayer.
Messages exchanged between the adults after his death referred to dreams and visions concerning Jairon and his resurrection. Meanwhile, people outside the house who asked about his health were reassured.
Ketamine found in hair
The advanced decomposition of Jairon's body complicated efforts to establish precisely how he died.
Further analysis of a hair sample, carried out following efforts by his mother, subsequently found that Jairon had been exposed to several toxic doses of ketamine in the weeks before his death.
The six defendants have reportedly denied knowing about the substance or administering it to the teenager.
The ketamine finding became a central element in the investigation, and the case was ultimately referred to the Assize Court as murder.
However, Prosecutor General Sofie Adé has taken a different position on the defendants' criminal responsibility.
"The facts are horrific, and Jairon's mother has had to endure a gruesome ordeal," she said during trial, while arguing that the six should instead be found guilty of withholding food and care resulting in death and negligent omission. Those offences carry a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.
Walter Van Steenbrugge, a lawyer representing Jairon's mother, has criticised the investigation; he argued that detectives initially failed to sufficiently explore the possibility of foul play.
Lawyers Peter Janssens and Fatima Ahmad at Antwerp's Assize Court on Friday 11 September 2026, on the first day of the trial of Rennlhij Manuela and five other residents accused of murdering his 14-year-old son Jairon. Credit: Belga/Stringer.
He said the amount of time Jairon's body remained undiscovered meant evidence had disappeared and argued that further investigation would not have taken place without the intervention of the teenager's mother.
"The family wants to hear the truth here," Van Steenbrugge said during court.
The defence disputes the murder accusation. "The question here is whether this father murdered his son, not whether he was part of a cult or made wrong decisions," said Fatima Ahmad, a lawyer representing Manuela.
She described the events as involving "dramatic circumstances and tragic mistakes", but argued that Jairon's father did not murder his son.
Lawyers representing the other defendants have similarly argued that they neither intended nor contributed to Jairon's death, with one defence lawyer describing the murder classification as "absurd".
The six defendants face life imprisonment if the jury finds them guilty of murder.
