STUART </B> Wilson Filho dreamed those dreams that fathers do and, in his, little Harold would grow up to be a Brazilian soccer star.
At 21 months old, the energetic toddler loved playing the world's game outside the family home in working-class Golden Gate, bordering a dirt lot perfect for kicking the ball around.
But this father's hopes were snatched away Thursday when his son was found dead in the family truck, and his wife was charged with aggravated manslaughter for allegedly forgetting the boy in his car seat for eight hours as she cleaned houses and ran errands, Stuart police said.
"He was the best little boy I ever met in my life. He was the best little boy ever made," the sobbing father said from his home Friday. "I knew if he lived he would have made me very proud of him."
The loss of Harold shrouded in tragedy the criminal case against mom Nellier "Nelly" Lima, 26, who was held Friday in the Martin County jail without bail. Prosecutors can proceed in several directions after reviewing the evidence in the coming days: officially file the charge as is, upgrade to a tougher charge, reduce the charge or drop the case.
The current charge is punishable by a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. "I need the most support right now for my wife. She's in jail. I don't know what's going to turn out (for) her," said Filho, whose family remains in Brazil. "It's a tragic accident and a tragic loss. We love our kids dearly. And whatever happened, it was a tragedy. It was nothing masterminded and nothing wrong (done by) her."
<snip>
While many in the community expressed outrage at the mother, those who know Lima said the charge against her is completely unrepresentative of how she cared for little Harold.
"Hasn't she been punished enough? She just lost her baby," said Palm City resident Jan Dalcorso, 55, who has rented her Golden Gate home to the couple for about a year.
"Nellier has always been a wonderful mother. If she couldn't find a job that allowed her to be with her kids, she didn't take it. Her life revolves around those kids ... "This is just a horrible accident. People shouldn't be judging her," she said. "They should be saying prayers that she can get through this."
more at the link http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/local_news/article/0,2545,TCP_16736_4910155,00.html