A vile ex has been thrown behind bars after she killed two children with a poisoned Easter egg. The woman was jailed for 66 years for the children’s deaths and the attempted murder of another woman
A jealous ex has been jailed for more than 66 years for murdering two children with a poisoned Easter egg sent to their mother as a revenge gift.
Jordelia Pereira Barbosa, 35, was convicted in Imperatriz, in Maranhao state, northeastern Brazil, after a jury found her guilty late on 22nd June. Seven-year-old Luiz Fernando Rocha Silva and his sister Evillyn Fernanda Rocha Silva, 13, died after eating the chocolate Easter egg sent to the home of their mother, Mirian Lira Rocha, in April 2025.
Mirian also ate some of the Easter egg and spent days in intensive care before surviving. The court heard the chocolate had been laced with chumbinho, a rat poison used illegally in Brazil. Prosecutors said Barbosa sent the Easter egg to Mirian’s home through a motorcycle taxi driver after plotting the attack out of jealousy and revenge.
Barbosa was the ex-partner of the man who was in a relationship with Mirian at the time. Judges sentenced Barbosa to 66 years, eight months and seven days in prison for the double murder of the children and the attempted murder of their mother.
The judge ordered her to begin serving the sentence immediately, kept her in preventive custody, and refused her the right to appeal while free. The court also ordered Barbosa to pay compensation worth 100 minimum wages to Mirian and a further 400 minimum wages to the parents of the two children.
Jurors accepted the attempted murder of Mirian was aggravated by a base motive, the use of poison, and deception. They also ruled the murders of Luiz and Evillyn were aggravated by the same factors, as well as the fact that both victims were under 14.
Investigators said Barbosa travelled more than 400 kilometres from Santa Ines to Imperatriz, used a false name at a hotel, and hired a delivery rider to take the Easter egg to the family home.
The poisoned gift arrived with a note that read: “With love to Mirian Lira. Happy Easter!!!”
In chilling CCTV shop footage, Barbosa is seen wearing sunglasses and a black wig, hiding her dyed blonde hair. At the counter, the woman is seen holding a box of luxury mini Easter eggs and seems reluctant to pay using her smartphone before pulling out what looks like an anonymous payment card.
When officers arrested her in Santa Ines, they found two wigs, chocolate remains in thermal bags, and a bus ticket. Barbosa denied poisoning the chocolate when first questioned by police in 2025, but later changed her story in court.
In a dramatic confession before the jury, she admitted lacing the treat with poison, insisting she had only wanted to “scare” Mirian because she was dating her ex-husband. The court rejected that version as unfounded.
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