BRAZIL · COURTS
Key Facts
- —The country Brazil, Latin America’s largest country, tries intentional killings before juries of ordinary citizens, in a system with some parallels to US courts.
- —Why it matters The case ended with a not-guilty verdict for a woman held in pretrial detention for about 13 months, which shows how far a Brazilian murder case can travel before a jury hears it.
- —Why now The jury sat on Monday 19 October 2026 in São Francisco, in the north of Minas Gerais state, and the woman walked free on Tuesday 20 October 2026.
- —What happened The jury cleared a 59-year-old grandmother accused of killing her nine-year-old granddaughter with a poisoned cake in July 2025.
- —The numbers She was charged over one death and one attempted killing, the police indictment carried a possible 12 to 30 years in prison, and the 2025 laboratory report found the pesticide ingredient terbufós in the cake and in the girl’s body.
- —What it means for you Readers in the United States can compare a lay-jury verdict that ended a year of custody, while travellers face no risk from a case that involved one household.
- —Still open Whether prosecutors file any challenge, and who, if anyone, put the poison in the food.
- —Power Index Brazil ranks 1st of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 75.0 points (October 2026 edition).
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A Brazil jury clears grandmother of poisoning her nine-year-old granddaughter with a cake, ending a case that had held a 59-year-old woman in pretrial detention since September 2025. The verdict came on Monday 19 October 2026 in São Francisco, in the north of Minas Gerais state, according to the regional news service g1 Grande Minas.
For US readers the case is a close look at a lay-jury trial in Latin America, where a not-guilty verdict ended roughly 13 months in custody for a woman the prosecution had accused of murder. The woman was released on Tuesday 20 October 2026 at about 9 a.m. local time, and the lawyer acting for the accusation said he would not contest the result.
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The Minas Gerais state prosecutors (MPMG) had charged her with aggravated homicide over the death of the girl and with attempted aggravated homicide over the illness of the girl’s older sister. The names of the two children are left out here, and the acquitted woman is not named in the reporting reviewed.
Brazil Jury Clears Grandmother After 13 Months in Custody
g1 Grande Minas reported on Tuesday 20 October 2026 that the Tribunal do Júri of São Francisco acquitted the woman the previous day. The jury is the court that hears intentional killings in Brazil, and its verdict was not-guilty in the case over the girl’s death.
The woman was freed from custody at about 9 a.m. on Tuesday 20 October 2026 after a release order was issued in the courtroom and carried out the next morning. The g1 report gives her age as 59 and says the case concerned events of July 2025.
The defence argued that she did not commit the acts and that the evidence was not enough to convict, relying on the principle that doubt benefits the accused. Her lawyer, Ricardo Pereira Alves, said, according to g1, that the investigation found no packaging of poison at her home, no record that she had bought the substance in local shops, and no motive.
The lawyer who sat with the prosecutors for the accusation recognised the sovereignty of the jury and said he saw no procedural nullity, so he chose not to contest the acquittal. The sources reviewed do not carry a separate statement from the MPMG on whether it will challenge the verdict.
What Happened in São Francisco in July 2025
The younger girl, aged nine, died on Wednesday 23 July 2025 after eating cake at her grandmother’s home in São Francisco, according to g1 and CNN Brasil. CNN Brasil reported that police described severe abdominal pain, foamy fluid from the nose and strong nausea before her death.
Her sister, aged 11, ate less of the cake because she did not like the taste, police said later, and she suffered milder symptoms and survived. A family cat also died after eating food in the house, and a veterinary report cited by police pointed to liver damage and likely poisoning.
A laboratory report cited by the Polícia Civil of Minas Gerais found that both the food and the girl’s body contained terbufós, a toxic substance used in pesticides and farm chemicals. The grandmother was arrested on Friday 19 September 2025 on a preventive custody order, nearly two months after the death.
Why Police Suspected the Grandmother in 2025
At a press conference on Monday 22 September 2025, police delegate William Araújo said the grandmother’s delay in seeking medical help after the girl fell ill was one of the main factors that drew suspicion. Police also said the woman had served the cake on two separate plates and was alone with the two girls at the time, which narrowed the inquiry.
The police inquiry was closed and sent to the courts in the last week of September 2025, with an indictment for aggravated homicide in its completed and attempted forms. Police cited article 121 of the Brazilian penal code, which treats killing by poison as an aggravating circumstance and sets a prison term of 12 to 30 years.
A defence lawyer said in September 2025 that the woman had cooperated spontaneously and had authorised investigative steps at her home, and called her arrest disproportionate. The case then waited more than a year for the jury, which is the 13 months of custody the verdict now closes.
What the Defence Told the Jury
According to g1, the defence argued that witnesses described a good relationship between the grandmother and her granddaughters. It also argued that the poison could have reached the food through the family cat, which died of poisoning by the same substance.
That claim is the defence’s theory and the g1 report does not say that the jury accepted it. A jury in Brazil gives a verdict without publishing reasons, so the public record shows the outcome and the arguments but not why the jurors voted as they did.
What It Means for You
Readers who know US criminal trials will recognise a jury that decides guilt and a verdict that frees a defendant, although Brazilian procedure differs in many details. The case is also a reminder that pretrial custody in Brazil can run for months before a trial date is set.
The matter concerns a single household in a town in the north of Minas Gerais, so it carries no travel or safety warning for visitors. Our guide to Brazil security and crime sets out how violent crime and policing work across the country.
For the wider court and political system, see our explainer on who holds power in Brazil. Visitors planning time in the state capital can use our Belo Horizonte city guide.
What Is Not Known
The verdict rests on one original report, from g1 Grande Minas, and no statement from the Minas Gerais court or the MPMG was found, so the details of the jury vote are not known. The g1 text also prints the arrest date as 19 September 2026, while its own 2025 reports date the arrest to 19 September 2025, and this article uses the 2025 date.
It is not known how the poison reached the cake, since the verdict does not settle that question. No one else has been named as a suspect in the reporting reviewed, and the sources do not say whether police will reopen the inquiry.
It is also not known whether the MPMG itself will appeal, because only the lawyer for the accusation was quoted. The g1 report also does not spell out the jury’s answer on the attempted-homicide charge over the girl’s sister, so this article reports only the acquittal over the girl’s death.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the jury decide in São Francisco?
The jury acquitted a 59-year-old grandmother accused of killing her nine-year-old granddaughter with a poisoned cake, according to g1. The trial took place on Monday 19 October 2026.
Was the woman released from custody?
Yes, a release order was issued in the courtroom and carried out on Tuesday 20 October 2026 at about 9 a.m. local time. She had been held on a preventive custody order since 19 September 2025.
What substance was found in the cake?
A laboratory report cited by police in 2025 found terbufós, a toxic substance used in pesticides, in the food and in the girl’s body. The verdict does not say how it got there.
Will prosecutors appeal the Brazil jury verdict?
The lawyer who acted for the accusation said he would not contest the acquittal. The sources reviewed carry no separate statement from the Minas Gerais prosecutors.
Is there any risk to visitors to Brazil?
No, the case involved one household and carries no travel warning. Visitors should still follow the usual safety advice for the region they visit.
Sources: g1 Grande Minas, 20 October 2026; g1 Grande Minas, 22 September 2025; g1 Grande Minas, 27 September 2025; CNN Brasil, July 2025.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error
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