6: The Fall

Summary

Podcast Summary: Two-Faced: John of God – Episode 6: The Fall
Released: March 4, 2026
Host: Martina Castro (Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts)

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Episode Overview

This powerful final episode, “The Fall,” traces the prosecution, conviction, and aftermath of João Teixeira de Faria—better known as John of God—once a revered Brazilian faith healer exposed as a serial sexual abuser. The episode focuses on the challenges in prosecuting his crimes, the fight for justice led by prosecutor Luciano Miranda and survivors, the limitations of his punishment, and the lingering power structures protecting him and his “holy empire.” Survivors and journalists reflect on justice, collective healing, and the enduring influence of John of God’s movement.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Prosecuting the Guru: Legal Challenges in Brazil

• Legal Obstacles ([02:40–05:49])

  • Victim Reporting Window: Survivors previously needed to report crimes within six months, leading to missed prosecution opportunities.

    "Many women did not even understand that they had been abused until the case was brought up by the press. So we lost several opportunities to prosecute Joao Teixeira..." — Luciano Miranda [03:22]

  • Statute of Limitations: Past 20 years for sexual crimes, halved to 10 years for those over 70, which limited charges against João despite four decades of alleged abuse ([03:41]).
  • Multiple Depositions: Victims questioned repeatedly, a retraumatizing practice that puts more scrutiny on them than on the accused, further complicating cases ([04:47]).
  • Lack of Physical Evidence: The prosecution primarily relied on victim testimonies and patterns across hundreds of women ([05:14]).

• Building the Case with Witnesses ([05:49–07:51])

  • Non-victims testified as witnesses, strengthening the argument of a clear, repeated pattern of abuse.

    “Maybe one person could make up what happened to them, or two. But hundreds of women with similar stories...That’s no coincidence. That’s a pattern, a modus operandi.” — Martina Castro [06:53]

  • Charting the abuse over time showed the consistent nature, only changing in the type of violation as João aged ([07:30]).

• Expanding the Definition of Rape in Brazilian Law ([08:14])

  • Brazilian statutes consider all lewd acts as rape, broadening the case’s scope ([08:14–08:34]).

2. The Trial and Landmark Convictions

• Court Strategy & Vulnerability Argument ([09:53–15:29])

  • The prosecution focused on victims’ vulnerability due to illness, faith in João, and neurological "freezing" (tonic immobility) during abuse.

    “When the abuse is done by someone you don’t expect, your ability to react is minimal…your body shuts down, freezes.” — Luciano Miranda [10:47] "More than 80% of the victims experienced that sensation of freezing, of immobility." — Luciano Miranda [11:15]

  • Applied a "vulnerable person" standard for harsher sentencing—an unprecedented move in this context ([11:36–12:44]).

• Trial Outcome ([16:05–17:51])

  • Judge Rosangela Rodriguez dos Santos (previously acquitted João in 2013 on a technicality) ultimately convicted him:
    • 2 counts rape of a vulnerable person
    • 2 counts sexual violation through fraud
    • Sentence: 19 years, 4 months in prison ([16:48])
  • Emotional response from journalists and survivors who finally felt heard ([17:32]).

    “All the women that I’ve talked to called me and they were crying...for the first time that they have been heard. Justice was made.” — Camila Appel [17:32]

• Subsequent Cases & Sentences

  • Additional convictions totalling over 60 years by March 2020; in total, João is convicted on 17 counts and sentenced to over 500 years ([19:39]).

3. Pandemic Twist and Controversial House Arrest

• COVID-19 Grants João a Break ([18:22–20:23])
  • Due to pandemic concerns and his advanced age, João is granted house arrest in a luxurious mansion, able to see followers and conduct "healings" ([20:02]).
  • Survivors and prosecutors express frustration that he continues to live comfortably and with limited restrictions, while victims struggle daily ([20:23–22:17]).

    “Sitting at home and getting remarried doesn’t work for me because he’s old...Give me a break.” — Karina [21:23] “He caused a lot of pain, a lot of trauma...and he’s still in his house.” — Camila R. [21:41] “I don't feel that justice was actually done even though he was convicted.” — Camila R. [22:05]

4. Did Justice Prevail? Varied Reflections

• Dissenting and Affirming Voices

  • For some, like Anapaula and journalist Camila Appel, the convictions and João's loss of reputation feel like justice ([22:17–22:52]).

    “His mask has fallen off. John of God today is nothing more than a rapist.” — Anapaula [22:27] “He was very proud of himself for having famous friends, and they all turned his back on him. He’s a no.1 today.” — Camila Appel [22:52]

• Unanswered Questions & Ongoing Concerns

  • Journalist Cristina Phoebe investigates lingering questions: how João was protected for so long and what other crimes were covered up ([23:59–26:47]).
    • Suggests a mafia-like network enabled his abuse and potentially covered up suspicious deaths and even murders ([28:19–29:20]).

    “My conclusion was the authorities made like kind of an agreement to focus on the sexual abuse, because if they had looked into everything, they would have to arrest a lot more people...” — Cristina Phoebe [30:20]

  • Prosecutor Luciano defends legal limits while acknowledging criticism ([31:06]).

• Case Not Fully Closed

  • Appeals and Supreme Court reviews add uncertainty; survivors and journalists remain wary as the Casa continues operating ([31:49–32:33]).

5. John of God’s Movement Persists

• Casa de Dom Inácio Still Active ([33:20–35:16])
  • Despite the scandal, international groups continue spiritual pilgrimages; misinformation and ongoing rituals maintain João’s legacy ([33:20–34:37]).

    “There are still tour groups there, and I just think it’s terribly dangerous...None of this is really being published.” — Michael Baylot [32:48] “[The Casa] continues to be run, but now by volunteers. There are many foreigners living there still...The global movement, I think, continues in some way.” — Cristina Rocha [33:46–34:37]

  • João retains symbolic control; some followers expect his return ([35:04–35:56]).

6. Survivors, Healing, and the Importance of Speaking Out

• Personal Transformation and Activism ([38:05–41:49])

  • Survivors, like Camila R., become lawyers or volunteer to help other victims, inspired by their ordeal to seek justice for others ([39:30]).

    “I chose to study law because of this...and today, thank God, I don’t have anything. I’m cured.” — Camila R. [39:30] “Speak up, seek justice. Your word has power. It has enormous strength. And to speak up, to be believed, it’s liberating.” — Anapaula [40:46]

  • Reflection on power: distrust in charismatic leaders and the importance of individual agency.

    “I don’t want to be a part of any community, anything whatsoever...I don’t have any tolerance for that stuff.” — Karina [40:08]

  • Shared realization that “the real power to heal was actually inside them all along” ([41:49]).

• On Faith and Moving Forward ([42:04–42:38])

  • Survivors now emphasize faith in themselves and individual healing, rather than placing trust in a leader.

    “I’m a firm believer—we can heal our own selves...A lot of the healing happened because of faith of the person themselves.” — Karina [42:22]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Investigation’s Breakthrough:

  “All the women...were crying...for the first time that they have been heard. Justice was made.” — Camila Appel [17:32]

• On the Trial's Limits:

  “According to Brazilian law, the imprisonment rule for those who are over 80 years old is house arrest. So this is a legal issue. As long as he doesn’t violate the conditions...there’s no legal argument that could put him back in jail.” — Luciano Miranda [20:02]

• On Institutional Complicity:

  “The authorities made like kind of an agreement to focus on the sexual abuse, because if they had looked into everything, they would have to arrest a lot more people...” — Cristina Phoebe [30:20]

• On Survivors' Power:

  “Speak up, seek justice. Your word has power. It has enormous strength. And to speak up, to be believed, it’s liberating.” — Anapaula [40:46]

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Timestamps for Critical Segments

• Legal challenges and evidence issues: [02:40–07:51]
• Neuroscience of “freezing” and vulnerability argument: [09:53–14:43]
• Verdict and reactions: [16:05–17:51]
• House arrest due to COVID: [18:22–20:23]
• Expressions of disappointment about justice: [21:05–22:17]
• Journalistic investigations and Casa secrecy: [23:59–29:20]
• Ongoing operation of the Casa and global followers: [32:33–35:56]
• Survivor advocacy, healing, and conclusion: [38:00–42:38]

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Conclusion

In “The Fall,” Two-Faced: John of God lays bare the daunting legal gauntlet facing survivors of sexual abuse by powerful figures, and exposes how cults of personality and institutional protections can allow such abuse to endure. Despite an unprecedented total sentence, the consequences for John of God fall short for many, as he continues to live comfortably and maintains a symbolic grip on his empire. Nevertheless, the journey of survivors and journalists in this episode underscores a greater transformation—a discovery of power within, a call for collective accountability, and a challenge for society to never again turn away from uncomfortable truths.

Lasting Message:
Faith isn’t just something to place in a leader—it’s the force survivors reclaim in themselves, in their community, and in the ongoing fight for justice.

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Transcript

[Martina Castro]

Please note that in this episode we'll be talking about sexual abuse and violence, which could be triggering for some listeners. Please listen at your own discretion. It's July 2, 2019. At around 10:00am, news cameras from TV Globo catch a black police pickup truck pull up to the Federal Courthouse in Abadianha, Brazil. In this report, you can see a crowd of people all dressed in white, applauding and waving signs with messages like God is with you. John of God has been in prison for eight months, waiting for this day, his first day in court. This first trial involves four women who accused Joo Teixeira of sexual abuse. Cameras were not allowed to observe the court proceedings, which is common in trials involving sex crimes. But after the hearing, one of Joo's lawyers, Alberto Toron, tells TV Globo that John of God says he is innocent. He only remembered one of the victims, and he said he never committed any act of sexual abuse against her. At the end of this TV report, you can see prosecutor Luciano Miranda exit the courthouse. He looks serious, upset even. He gets in his car without making any comments to the press. It's no surprise Luciano has his game face on. Convicting anyone of sex crimes that happened years ago is difficult, especially when he's the most famous, influential and revered spiritual guru in the country. But Luciano and his team have spent months meticulously putting together their case. And they're not going to repeat mistakes of the past. In fact, in the days to follow, they're going to argue something that if done successfully, will deal a death blow to Joo's defense. From exactly right media and adonde media, this is two faced John of God. I'm your host, Martina Castro. Episode 6 the Fall Luciano Miranda says when it comes to prosecuting crimes of sexual abuse, there are both strengths and weaknesses to Brazilian law.

[Luciano Miranda]

It's hard to say if we have more negative or positive aspects. We have some that deserve careful consideration.

[Martina Castro]

He pointed out three specific challenges. First, until recently, victims had to give the government permission to prosecute their aggressor. And not only that, the victims had to do it within six months from the moment the perpetrator's identity came to light or the government could not step in. This law changed in 2019, but it still managed to have a huge impact on the prosecution's case against Joao. Starting in 2018,

[Luciano Miranda]

many women did not even understand that they had been abused until the case was brought up by the press. So we lost several opportunities to prosecute Joao Teixeira because of this six month legal issue.

[Martina Castro]

Second, Luciano points out the tricky nature of Brazil's style statute of limitations. Under Brazilian law, someone can only be prosecuted for crimes that happened in the past 20 years. But if the person being accused is more than 70 years old, that time is cut in half. So Joo could only answer to allegations from the past 10 years. Even though victims reported abuse that happened 40 years ago. Luciano says this kind of statute might make sense when it comes to other crimes, but not with crimes of a sexual nature.

[Luciano Miranda]

Because one thing is when you're the victim of a theft, of robbery, you immediately want to go to the authorities. Immediately. But when you're the victim of a sexual crime, it's different. And for a person to find the strength to speak about it, each victim needs their own time.

[Martina Castro]

And finally,

[Luciano Miranda]

there's a third, very negative point in Brazilian legislation that still persists. The need for repeated depositions from the victim. The woman is basically questioned for longer than Draw Teixeixeira himself. It's as if she were the real defendant in the case. The PROCESS.

[Martina Castro]

These are just a few of the legal challenges the prosecution would face. The biggest one had to do with hard evidence. The prosecution didn't have any. No DNA or fingerprints, no eyewitness testimony. It would just be the victim's word against Showao's.

[Camila R.]

And I really, unfortunately, have nothing. I have nothing to prove what happened other than my word. I have nothing.

[Anapaula]

Nothing.

[Martina Castro]

But Luciano and his team made a smart move. The victims who couldn't press charges due to statute of limitations or other legal issues, they were still included in the case, but not as victims, instead, as witnesses. When all of those testimonies were taken together, they took on a power that neither one of them had on their own.

[Anapaula]

As soon as I entered, he not only closed, but he locked it with

[Karina]

the key and he locked the door. And the minute he locked the door and put the keys in his pocket,

[Camila R.]

I was like, shit.

[Anapaula]

I remember that at that moment, I froze.

[Camila R.]

Why didn't I tell him right away? Why didn't I say it right away? I couldn't do it. I wasn't understanding what was going on.

[Martina Castro]

Maybe one person could make up what happened to them, or two. But hundreds of women with similar stories about what John of God did to them over the span of 40 years. Women who didn't even know each other. That's no coincidence. That's a pattern, a modus operandi.

[Luciano Miranda]

The abuse was repeated for almost 40 years. It was a modus operandi. It was very similar. This showed that he did not change his behavior, even as Time went by.

[Martina Castro]

To punctuate his point, Luciano mapped out the instances of abuse on a graph. This graph showed how victims reported similar experiences over time. The only thing that shifted as John of God got older was the kind of abuse the victims reported.

[Luciano Miranda]

The victims no longer reported penetration, but then they reported other forms of sexual abuse, including genital manipulation, masturbation, or touching of intimate parts.

[Martina Castro]

And in Brazil, all of those sexual acts are considered rape.

[Luciano Miranda]

Brazilian law understands rape as any lewd act. Any act with sexual connotation, whether it's groping the breasts, buttocks, genitals, anal intercourse, masturbation. All of this, depending on the context, constitutes the crime of rape.

[Martina Castro]

So this is where Brazilian law was going to help the prosecution. First, it meant Joo could be charged for the sexual abuse he committed in his later years. And second, the prosecution could argue that the unified shift in victims testimonies over time made it highly improbable that the victims were somehow all telling the same lie. It showed the opposite. They were most likely telling the truth. When it came time to go to trial, the prosecution decided to divide up the charges. That first case officially went to trial in July of 2019. Finally, Luciano and his team would get to test their argument in court. The trial centered on four women who accused Joao Teixeira of raping them. It took place in Abadiana, Joao's hometown, which already put the prosecution at a slight disadvantage. But then they learned the judge presiding over the trial would be Rosangela Rodriguez dos Santos.

[Luciano Miranda]

The same judge who tried Camila's case. She was the same one who acquitted him.

[Martina Castro]

We learned about this trial in the last episode. This is the same judge who heard Camila R's case against Joo back in 2012, and who acquitted him in 2013 due to a legal technicality. Then there was the defense. Joo's lawyers already proved that they would stop at nothing to get their client acquitted, including spreading rumors and lies about the victims in the press. In particular, Luciano knew they would focus on the biggest weakness in the prosecution's case. The fact that many of the victims returned to the casa several times after they were first abused. So Luciano decided to hone in on one similarity among the victims testimonies. One that would prove extra helpful in explaining their behavior.

[Luciano Miranda]

When the abuse is done by someone you don't expect your ability to react is minimal. Your body shuts down, freezes. And that's when we see some phenomena described by neuroscience as tonic immobility. Freezing. And that's what we kept hearing. I couldn't scream I couldn't move. And I'll tell you this, more than 80% of the victims experienced that sensation of freezing, of immobility.

[Martina Castro]

The prosecution argued that this freezing was reason enough for the victims to be considered legally vulnerable. Rape of a vulnerable person is a more serious crime in Brazil. So if the prosecution were able to prove this, then it would not only explain the victim's behavior, it would also trigger a harsher punishment for Joo if he were found guilty. The only catch is that this would be the first time this definition would be applied to this kind of victim.

[Luciano Miranda]

Our law considers vulnerable anyone whose capacity to resist is in some way diminished or eliminated. At least in our legal system, we say that vulnerable is the victim who has a mental disability. Vulnerable is the victim who is suffering from an illness, for example, is doped, is in a coma. That's what we call vulnerable. And in the case of Jautexeida, we had victims who didn't fit that profile.

[Martina Castro]

To prove them vulnerable, Luciano focused on a few specific traits many of the victims shared. First, he pointed out that Joo's victims, or his victims, loved ones, were often battling a fatal illness and they were desperate for a cure.

[Luciano Miranda]

He knew of the illness, he knew about the victim's vulnerability. Then there's another issue. He used to say, for the illness not to return, You need to come back here three, four, five times. And much of what was said, especially by laypeople who didn't understand why the victims kept returning it was because this illusion was created that if she did not follow the protocol, she would succumb to that disease. So the entire Duarte Cheda case is rooted in this idea that he relied on the victim's frailty, on the victim's vulnerability to commit the sexual abuse.

[Martina Castro]

Secondly, the victims were largely believers and people of faith who saw Joo as their spiritual leader. This made them vulnerable to having their beliefs manipulated by him.

[Luciano Miranda]

When you touch something so intimate, so personal, which is religion, and attack them sexually, you basically remove all the support that person has. You remove the defense mechanism that the person uses to deal with any situation.

[Martina Castro]

And finally, the freezing aspect of victims experiences. Luciano called on a psychologist to explain this phenomenon in court. This was the strongest argument for why the victims were indeed vulnerable.

[Luciano Miranda]

It's easier when you read what the victim says, when she says, I felt like a passenger in my own body. I couldn't scream, I couldn't run. And when I thought what he was doing to me was wrong, I felt like I was getting in the way of my own healing process.

[Martina Castro]

This is common in cases of what the psychologists called trust rape. That's when the person abusing you is someone you trust, and he does it in a place you feel safe. Luciano says that context makes one react very differently than if you were attacked walking down a dark street.

[Luciano Miranda]

If you're walking in a place that you know is a dangerous zone, you're alert. When you see the aggressor approaching, your almost immediate reaction is to scream. But when it happens in a setting where you don't expect it, the phenomenon of tonic immobility and freezing is very common. So these are very interesting issues for the legal aspects of the Jaltexeida case that we had to cover to build the case.

[Martina Castro]

After five and a half long months in court, it was finally time to hear the judge's ruling. By the way, in Brazil, all cases are tried by judges unless they involve a homicide, which is the only crime tried by a jury. That's why so much was at stake for Luciano and his team as they carefully presented their argument against Joo. It would all boil down to one person's decision.

[Luciano Miranda]

We didn't know how the courts would behave. We knew what we had the legal conviction, but we didn't know how the courts would act. And the response was very positive in that first batch.

[Martina Castro]

Positive because at the end of the trial, Judge Rodriguez dos Santos convicted Joao on two counts of rape of a vulnerable person and two counts of sexual violation through fraud. Joo was sentenced to 19 years and four months in prison.

[Camila Appel]

I knew he was going to get convicted. I knew it was going to happen.

[Martina Castro]

Journalist Camila Appel, who was behind the show that ultimately broke the story about Joao as a serial rapist, remembers the moment she first heard about the conviction. Even though she was confident he wouldn't get away with it, she couldn't help but get emotional when she heard the news.

[Camila Appel]

I did cry. I cried because all the women that I've talked to called me and they were crying. They were so, so happy and so feeling for the first time that they have been heard. Justice was made. And that made me very, very emotional, and I'll never forget it.

[Martina Castro]

Now that Luciano knew his argument was legally sound, he and his team moved forward with the other batches of cases. And they kept winning. By March of 2020, Joo had been sentenced to 60 years in prison. It looked like he was going to spend the rest of his days behind bars. But in what seems to be typical fashion for John of God, the universe was about to intervene on his behalf and give him a major break. Fears are growing that it won't be

[Luciano Miranda]

possible to stop the global spread of coronavirus.

[Martina Castro]

It's the transmission of the disease which you've all heard so much about, COVID

[Luciano Miranda]

19, which is expanding across Brazil. Visits to federal prisons have been suspended.

[Martina Castro]

The measure is intended to prevent the

[Luciano Miranda]

spread of the coronavirus.

[Martina Castro]

By March of 2020, the COVID 19 pandemic had reached every state in Brazil. Joo's lawyers had already been working on a petition for Joo to serve his sentence under house arrest instead of prison. Given his advanced age and ill health, the new pandemic gave their argument the extra ammunition they needed. The petition was heard by the presiding judge in Abadiana, Judge Rodriguez dos Santos, and she granted it. So on March 31, 2020, Joo got to go home. The prosecution would continue its cases against John of God and and ultimately take him to court. 17 times they convicted Joao on charges of sexual abuse, rape and illegal possession of a firearm, securing record sentences.

[Luciano Miranda]

Altogether, he got more than 500 years. It's not something we see all the time. I myself have never seen it before or since.

[Martina Castro]

But despite all of those wins, Luciano, Miranda and his team were not able to get Joo to serve that time behind bars.

[Luciano Miranda]

According to Brazilian law, the imprisonment rule for those who are over 80 years old is house arrest. So this is a legal issue. As long as he doesn't violate the conditions of his house arrest, there's no legal argument that could put him back in jail.

[Martina Castro]

So now, several years since the last trial took place, a huge question looms over Joo's convictions. Is justice ultimately being served? Well, it depends on who you ask. For Luciano, this is not what he had set out to do as prosecutor. Home for Joo is a sprawling mansion in annapolis, just a 30 minute drive from the Casa in Abadiana. He's still allowed to see followers there and conduct healing sessions. He can even continue to collect donations and money from the Casa. As far as Luciano can see, Joo is living life to the fullest.

[Luciano Miranda]

Remarried. That was two, three years ago. While many are still feeling imprisoned, re experiencing what he did, he is in his mansion, in his home, with all the perks that money can buy.

[Karina]

Sitting at home and getting remarried doesn't work for me because he's old. I mean, give me a break.

[Martina Castro]

Karina is one of the victims who agrees with Luciano's point of view, as well as Camila R.

[Camila R.]

He hurt a lot of people. He caused a lot of pain, a lot of trauma. For a lot of people who can't that they were unable to go on with their lives and turn the page, and he's still in his house. What are the restrictions he has? Oh, he can't leave the house. I have a lot of restrictions today.

[Martina Castro]

A lot.

[Camila R.]

And I didn't do anything wrong. So I don't feel that justice was actually done even though he was convicted.

[Martina Castro]

On the other hand, Anapaula, the victim whose story we heard in episode three, tries to focus on what was accomplished.

[Anapaula]

I believe that even house arrest is a compliance with justice. Yes, justice has been served. His mask has fallen off. John of God today is nothing more than a rapist.

[Martina Castro]

Journalist Camila Appel from the Conversa Combial show also thinks justice was ultimately served.

[Camila Appel]

The thing that he estimated the most he lost, which is his credibility, his name. He was very, you know, he was very proud of himself for having famous friends, and they all turned his back on him. He's a no.1 today.

[Martina Castro]

What everyone can agree on is that this story is far from over. John of God and his crimes might no longer lead the headlines, but his influence is still felt in Abadiania and the Casa, Especially if you take into account all of the other crimes that surfaced after Joo's arrest. Right around the time John of God was awaiting his first trial in 2018, journalist Christina Phoebe was kicking off a brand new investigation into his crimes. She was proud of the article she worked on with reporter Elena Borges for the newspaper. But she felt like there was one question no one had tackled yet.

[Cristina Phoebe]

Okay, so how. How is that possible? How can he be, like, in the most, you know, famous spiritual century in Brazil, everyone was looking to Casa de Minasio, and he was just abusing hundreds of women followers going there, searching for a cure. And the only thing we hear and we publish as, like, a press is how many people he was curing. It was something that didn't, like, make any sense.

[Martina Castro]

So to make sense of this, Christina decided to write a book about Choao. It would try to explain how he created a sphere of influence and power that permitted him to sexually abuse his followers for over four decades.

[Cristina Phoebe]

So I was like, trying to understand how. How did people know? And that was what I discovered. Like, when I went to Abajan and I started searching, it was very easy to find out that everyone knew. Everyone knew.

[Martina Castro]

Cristina interviewed Joao's victims, some of his childhood friends and neighbors. She spoke with several local authorities in Abadiania and even visited the Casa herself undercover. Immediately, she was met with veiled threats and an intense culture of secrecy. Like, for example, when she went to talk to the local Police in Abadiania. She asked them about several criminal incidents that had popped up in the press since Joao's arrest, Incidents that seemed to have no formal case files attached to them.

[Cristina Phoebe]

It was like many, many cases which were hidden. So we went there to say, hey, what's about that case and that case and that case? Where are the documents? And he said, yeah, of course I'm gonna help. Anyway, the second day I went there, he had researched, like, my family, and he had Googled my name, and he wanted to tell me, you know, I know who you are. I know who your mother is. I know where you live.

[Martina Castro]

And then five days later, Christina got back home late one night after work,

[Cristina Phoebe]

and I had a car waiting for me. Like, I lived in a house in a very safe neighborhood in Rio. And he was blocking my garage. So I went around him, went inside my home. He was there for, like, five minutes watching me. And then he went a few times around the block. But, yeah, I felt like they were telling me, yeah, I'm watching. I know where you live, and you be careful.

[Martina Castro]

Cristina persisted with her investigation, and she discovered some unsettling things that had gone on under the radar at the Casa.

[Cristina Phoebe]

Many people went there very sick, and they died. And we just didn't know about that. It wasn't in the news. The person just disappeared. The family didn't know what had happened to the person, or they would get, like, returned to the family without a proper document saying, what happened. Why did that person die?

[Martina Castro]

So Cristina went to the local office in Goias, where deaths are registered, and tried to gather some of this information. She asked for all the people who were known to have died in Abadiania in one given week.

[Cristina Phoebe]

And they gave me, like, I don't know, 20. And it was, like, a very small town, and out of the list, the majority was from other countries.

[Martina Castro]

Cristina dug some more, and she was able to find some names. In 2012, over the course of just two months, at least four foreign women showed up dead at the Casa. Two were from Austria, Martha Rauscher, age 58, and Elizabeth Herring, age 47. And from France, Giselle Marie Jeanne Luque, age 78. And from Greece, Evangelina Argidi, age 56. It's still unclear how these women died.

[Cristina Phoebe]

And then after that, I started to learn that there were also people more murdered, which was like a whole other arm of the investigation. It was like, two very close assistants to John of God that were murdered at the parking lot of Casa de Minas. Murdered, like, with 10 gunshots. It was like, very, very huge thing.

[Martina Castro]

Some people were eventually prosecuted for these separate incidents that occurred in 1988 and the other in 1995. But Christina doesn't believe they were the real culprits.

[Cristina Phoebe]

So it was like the small fish were incriminated and in jail, but not the guy who were really telling them to do it. They never got to Joan of God. Never, ever. They stopped before him.

[Martina Castro]

Little by little, Cristina was piecing together what appeared to be a mafia like network of influence that Joao held over this town. One that covered up the sexual abuse, but potentially other serious crimes. To do this, he would have needed help from his associates at the Casa and his powerful friends in the political and legal system, but also from his family. We haven't mentioned much about them, but some of the charges were also filed against his wife at the time. Joao has had three wives over the years and one of his nine children. The most disturbing of all was an accusation from one of his daughters saying Joo had sexually abused her since she was a child. So what happens with all of these other crimes, all of these other people who helped cover up or hide what was going on? By the end of her investigation, Cristina came up with a hypothesis.

[Cristina Phoebe]

My conclusion was the authorities made like kind of an agreement to focus on the sexual abuse, because if they had looked into everything, they would have to arrest a lot of more people, and including authorities who were not investigating correctly, you know, prosecutors, judges, they would really have to look at it, and they are not willing to do that at all.

[Martina Castro]

The public prosecutor, Luciano Miranda, acknowledges the limited scope of his investigation. But when I asked him about this, he defended his decision to focus on Joao and on his sexual crimes.

[Luciano Miranda]

I know there's criticism that more people should have been arrested or prosecuted, but all I can say is that from a legal standpoint, we went as far as the law allowed us to go without theatrics and without trying to perform something just for the press, which would later end up discrediting our investigation.

[Martina Castro]

So that's why Luciano says he put his head down and focused on representing the victims who had viable accusations against Joao. And it's something he does to this day, because the cases against John of God are far from closed.

[Luciano Miranda]

We don't have a final decision from the Superior Court of Justice, the Supreme Court, which is the highest court. So this still causes us some concern, because every time, let's say, a new judge or a new group of judges reviews the case, it makes us apprehensive, because I don't know if they'll Understand the specificity of this case, how this case is unlike anything else.

[Martina Castro]

That might sound unlikely at this point, but not if you consider that the Casa is still alive and functioning today, even without Joao there in person.

[Michael Baylot]

There's still tour groups there, and I just think it's terribly dangerous.

[Martina Castro]

Former tour guide Michael Baylot says more work has to be done to get the word out about Joao's crimes, especially to foreign followers.

[Michael Baylot]

A lot of Europeans are still going. They don't speak Portuguese for the most part. They don't understand. They've only heard what the tour guide has told them. And what they understand is that Juan's in house arrest because he really didn't do anything, and they're just trying to shut him up and put him out of business. I felt a moral obligation to tell everybody about this because none of this is really being published.

[Martina Castro]

Anthropologist Cristina Rocha saw this firsthand. She heard from tour guides who were still taking people and decided to visit the Casa herself as recently as 2024.

[Cristina Rocha]

And when I was there in May, I saw a German group, and an Australian group had just left.

[Martina Castro]

During her visit, Cristina says she saw a very different version of Abadiana than the one she saw at the peak of its popularity.

[Cristina Rocha]

So of the 72 guest houses, there are four left. Everything else closed their doors. Most shops are closed. A lot of houses were closed. There were still a few crystal and jewelry shops, lots of faucets, signs. So what I saw is that the Casa continues to be run, but now by volunteers. There are many foreigners living there still. So the rituals are being performed as usual. Wednesday to Friday, the same things happened. The global movement, I think, continues in some way. For example, I talked to people who said, oh, look, people who only cared about money left. And now it's much better because the energy is purer.

[Martina Castro]

The flexibility that Joao built into his belief system to attract more foreigners is what Cristina credits with giving the movement a future without him.

[Cristina Rocha]

So rather than decline, followers see this in reverse. They see this as a transformation, as a revival, as an increase in spiritualization of the place.

[Martina Castro]

But of course, Cristina says this also leaves room for Joo to potentially make his way back to the Casa. The word in Abadiania is that he still plans to return.

[Cristina Rocha]

People told me that he insists that the entities are telling him he's gonna go back to the Casa. I mean, really, he's 82, right? And he hasn't appointed any successor, which means that he still, you know, controls the place. The day when he left, he put a saint, his patron, Saint Santa Rita of Caesia. He has a big statue of her. He put on his chair, said, nobody can sit here. So he's very, very clever. I mean, no successor. I'm coming back. You wait.

[Martina Castro]

For many, John of God and his crimes are in the past. But the people we spoke with for this series say this story is still very present for them.

[Cristina Phoebe]

Sometimes I talk about it as a journalist in Brazil and I think, wow, I'm repeating myself. I'm talking about this a lot. Why am I still talking about it?

[Martina Castro]

Journalist Christina Phoebe reflects on why it's important to still talk about John of God and this case even so many years later.

[Cristina Phoebe]

I feel like regarding the press coverage in Brazil, after he's in jail and he has been condemned, it has a feel like, wow, the monster is away. It's all over, it's okay. And I keep talking about it because not only authorities are not looking at the other crimes. There is like people who are also criminals that are with no punishment and are just free. And so I still think that this case is symbolic of how far can the abuse scheme go.

[Martina Castro]

So Christina feels compelled to continue covering cases of sexual abuse and shed light on the prevalence of this type of crime in society.

[Cristina Phoebe]

It's not only like the guy who comes with a gun and rapes you or the husband who beats his wife. It's also about the guy who is a guru and he leads you to believe that he needs to do it. So the abuse has other types of mechanisms that goes on and. And is going on there. I'm sure there is in the United States and there is in Latin American countries and in Europe. No one, unfortunately, is safe from that kind of abuse.

[Martina Castro]

It's been a while. Looking back, how has this impacted your life and changed you?

[Camila Appel]

I think it changed my life completely.

[Martina Castro]

After breaking the story on Converza Combial, Camila Appel was also compelled to bring more information to the public about John of God and his crimes. She worked on a longer documentary series about the case for Globo, highlighting many more victims voices.

[Camila Appel]

The documentary came from the need to answer questions that were being made to me and that I couldn't just answer. I had to show them. Personally, I think it had a bad impact on the way I see spiritual leaders, spiritual healers. And one of the saddest things I've ever heard about the victims was that he took away their faith, their ability to believe and to put their faith in anything. And I do think I lost a bit of mine, you know, because it just so so terrible what he did with those women, what everyone did. And I wish, I do wish sometime I can get it back, get it back, get my faith back somehow.

[Martina Castro]

As for the survivors we spoke with, Camila R. Was inspired by her experience to become a lawyer and says her relationship with God is now as strong as ever.

[Camila R.]

I am a lawyer today. I chose to study law because of this. Because when it came to the judicial sphere, I felt very helpless. I managed to get through my panic disorder today, thank God, I don't have anything. I'm cured.

[Martina Castro]

Anapaula and Carina now volunteer to help other survivors of sexual abuse to speak out and seek counseling. Karina now sees red flags in some of the things John of God offered his followers, like a sense of belonging or a community.

[Karina]

I don't want to be a part of any community, anything whatsoever. No, because a lot of also what I learned about the so called spiritual followers and people, it's kind of like a little fashion. Oh, I'm so enlightened. I'm so cool. I don't have any tolerance for that stuff.

[Martina Castro]

Karina also believes we shouldn't give so much power to any one person or man. Instead she, Ana Paula and Camila are. They all say you should give that power to yourself, to your own voice. And don't be afraid to use it.

[Anapaula]

Speak up, seek justice. Your word has power. It has enormous strength. And to speak up, to be believed, it's liberating.

[Camila R.]

Start by talking to those who love you, to those who will give you the strength to speak up. Tell them first because you will be supported.

[Anapaula]

Nobody has to go through this alone.

[Cristina Phoebe]

No one.

[Anapaula]

And I think that this was a great example for all of us, that together we are much stronger. Because I couldn't do it alone, but after I was supported,

[Martina Castro]

look at how

[Anapaula]

many people, how many things we achieved together. Look at who we managed to catch.

[Martina Castro]

It's a power they weren't aware they had until after John of God's crimes came to light. Now many say the real power to heal was actually inside them all along.

[Anapaula]

I don't doubt things that happened there in the house. Not least because I believe a lot in the faith of the people who were there with him. They were there asking, emanating positive energies. I'm a big believer in that.

[Karina]

I'm a firm believer. We can heal our own selves. Not everybody, but we all have that in us. And faith moves mountains. A lot of the healing happen because of faith of the person themselves.

[Martina Castro]

That word again. Faith. Faith in your own ability to Heal in your own strength to fight against all odds to tell the truth. Faith in your power to bring justice to people who have been wronged. Faith that can make you vulnerable or invincible. As we wrap this final episode, I want to take a moment to personally thank everyone who spoke to us for this series. To Cristina Rocha and Cristina Phoebe, whose interviews and books about John of God greatly informed our reporting. To Camila Appel not only for our interview, but for her investigation for the Conversa combial show and for the documentary she later produced for Globo. To Luciano Miranda for taking the time to give us the legal dimension of this historic case in Brazil. Thank you to Michael Baylot and Amy Bianc, the former tour guides who at great personal risk to themselves, spoke with me and other journalists to denounce Joo's crimes. Sadly, Amy Bianc fell ill after our interview and passed away away in January of 2025. We honor her memory and her bravery in our documentary series and the biggest of my thanks to survivors Anapa Karina and Camila R for choosing to use their voices once more to hopefully inspire others to use their own, but also to remind us of all the ways in which we need to keep accountable those we give power in our society. This series would not have been possible without the development, research and production support of producer Giovanna Romano Sanchez. All of our booking and fact checking was executed by journalist and reporter Eloisa Traiano. This series got expert editorial and production guidance in English and in Spanish from senior producer Mariano Pacela. The sound design and score you heard was meticulously done by Mauricio Mendoza with final mastering by Martin Cruz, and the moving original score was written by Brazilian composer Mariana Romano. And the amazing voices that interpreted the Portuguese interviews in English belonged to Andres Caballchero as Luciano Miranda, Claudio Diaz as Marcelo Stoduto, Giovanna Romano Sanchez as Anapaula and Laura Ubate as Camila R. The artwork was designed and created by Vanessa Lilac. A special thanks to audio engineer Guillermo Gamis and his studio Gamiz Gravaciones in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where I recorded all of my narration for this series. We worked with such a supportive and insightful team at Exactly Right Media. A huge thank you to executive producers Karen Kilgariff, Georgia Hardstark and Danielle Kramer with consulting producer Lily Latowig and associate producer Jay Elias. Thank you all for your trust and partnership. If you want to learn more about this story, you can find a list of resources in the description of this episode and you can listen to all the episodes of Two Faced John of God on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts there. You can also find this show en Espanol. Just look for Dos Caras. Thank you for listening.