Below Deck alum Barbie Pascual is speaking out following João Franco‘s arrest in Turkey, and she has a pointed message for their former Bravo co-stars.
Pascual, who worked alongside Franco on Below Deck Down Under, shared a series of Instagram Stories addressing the devastating incident that left a 17-year-old boy dead and landed the yacht captain behind bars. While expressing her heartbreak for the teenager’s family, she also made it clear that she is standing by Franco as he faces the legal situation.
“My heart is heavy over the tragic loss of the 17-year-old boy, and my prayers are with his family during this devastating time,” Pascual wrote. “I’m also praying for Joao, his brother, his girlfriend, and his family as they live through this nightmare.”
But Pascual didn’t stop there. She also pointed to what she described as the silence from nearly everyone who filmed with Franco on Below Deck, with a notable exception: fellow alum Colin Macy-O’Toole.
“The silence from nearly everyone he filmed with, aside from Colin, who had the decency to speak out, is disappointing, even if it isn’t surprising,” she wrote. “I hope more people who know his true character find the courage to stand by him. I pray he is home soon.”
Pascual also praised Franco for stepping in during the confrontation, saying his actions matched the person she knows.
“Seeing him step in to protect his brother is completely consistent with the person I know,” she wrote, adding that it was heartbreaking to see someone who had built a life outside of Below Deck and finally entered his dream career face something like this.
Franco and his brother Karlos were arrested in Bodrum, Turkey, following an altercation involving local shopkeepers on November 7. According to the Associated Press, the confrontation resulted in the 17-year-old, Muhammet Koyabakan, suffering a head injury. He later died in the hospital.
The brothers reportedly told police they had been attacked and acted in self-defense, denying they hit the teenager. Authorities have not publicly specified the charges against them.
Macy-O’Toole previously spoke out in support of Franco, urging people to consider the circumstances and wait for all the facts to emerge.