Brazil Court Lengthens Kiss Fire Sentences

BRAZIL · COURTS

Brazil’s Superior Court of Justice (STJ), the highest court for most non-constitutional federal law, lengthened the prison terms of two co-owners of the Kiss nightclub on Tuesday 10 November 2026. A fire at the club killed 242 people in the southern city of Santa Maria in 2013.

Elissandro Callegaro Spohr, known as Kiko, now faces 14 years, 4 months and 24 days, and Mauro Londero Hoffmann 13 years, 2 months and 12 days. Both start in a closed prison regime, the strictest of Brazil’s three.

What the Court Decided

The STJ’s Sixth Panel, one of its criminal chambers, finished the judgment on Tuesday after an earlier pause. A majority restored a harsher finding on the owners’ culpability, meaning the degree of blame for their own conduct.

Justice Rogerio Schietti Cruz, a member of the panel, wrote the divergent opinion that won by majority, with Justice Carlos Pires Brandão joining him. The panel also found that the state court had given the fire’s consequences too much weight, and the STJ corrected that calculation.

How the Case Got Here

A jury in Santa Maria convicted four people in December 2021, giving Spohr 22 years and 6 months and Hoffmann 19 years and 6 months. After disputes over whether that trial was valid, Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) restored the verdict.

In August 2025 the Rio Grande do Sul state Court of Justice cut the owners’ terms to 12 years each and the other two convicts’ terms to 11 years. State prosecutors appealed that cut to the STJ, and the defence lawyers filed appeals of their own.

On Tuesday the STJ left the 11-year terms of Marcelo de Jesus dos Santos and Luciano Augusto Bonilha Leão untouched. Only the two club owners saw their sentences rise.

What It Means for Readers Abroad

Almost 14 years passed between the fire and this decision, a measure of how slowly the case has moved through Brazil’s courts. Brazilian law lets each side appeal in stages, so further challenges are possible.

For readers who follow Brazil, the decision is one more sign of how much weight the courts carry in national life. Our Brazil section tracks the courts, with recent reports on a court fight over Rio’s governor race and a Supreme Federal Court ruling on betting.

What Is Not Known

Whether the two owners will return to prison, and when, has not been announced. Further appeals by either side remain possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Brazil’s STJ decide in the Kiss nightclub case?

On 10 November 2026 its Sixth Panel raised the terms of two club owners. Elissandro Spohr now has 14 years, 4 months, 24 days and Mauro Hoffmann 13 years, 2 months, 12 days.

How many people died in the Kiss nightclub fire?

The fire in Santa Maria on 27 January 2013 killed 242 people. It also injured more than 630.

Were the other two convicts affected?

No. Marcelo de Jesus dos Santos and Luciano Augusto Bonilha Leão keep their 11-year terms.

Sources: Superior Tribunal de Justiça (STJ), Sixth Panel ruling and press statement, 10 November 2026 (stj.jus.br); Tribunal de Justiça do Rio Grande do Sul, appeal ruling, August 2025. Read on 11 November 2026.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error

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