Jeff Machado murder trial opens in Rio, mother seeks maximum sentences
On July 8 2026 the I Tribunal do Júri in Rio de Janeiro began the popular jury trial of Jeander Vinícius da Silva Braga, accused of homicide qualified, concealment of a corpse and animal cruelty in the 2023 killing of actor Jeff Machado. The trial follows the discovery of Machado’s body in May 2023, buried inside a concrete‑filled wooden box in Campo Grande, West Rio. Police say the motive was a financial scam: the accused promised Machado a role in a television novela and received between R$ 18 000 and R$ 25 000 before deciding to kill him.
Machado’s mother, Maria das Dores Machado, travelled from Santa Catarina to attend the hearing and appealed for the maximum penalty, stating, "É um momento muito importante… espero justiça para esses acusados." A second accused, producer Bruno de Souza Rodrigues, will face a separate jury on 10 December 2026.
The case has drawn national attention due to the brutal method of the murder, the concealment of the body, and the abandonment of the victim’s eight dogs, which helped spark the investigation.