Court acquits fan who stalked Débora Falabella since 2013, but maintains restrictive measure

The stalker who had been following actress Débora Falabella since 2013 was deemed incapable of understanding the gravity of her actions and acquitted of the legal proceedings against her for persecution and crimes against freedom.

The case was tried by Judge Juliana Trajano de Freitas Barão, of the 1st Criminal Court of Barra Funda, of the Court of Justice of São Paulo (TJ-SP). F5 had access to the case documents, which are under judicial secrecy. The Public Prosecutor’s Office of São Paulo was against the acquittal and can appeal the decision.

In March, at the request of the court, the woman underwent a mental health test, which found that she was not responsible and recommended outpatient treatment, which influenced the judge’s decision.

The judge also ordered that the defendant be monitored for at least two years in an outpatient unit designated by the court. Despite her innocence, the court upheld the restraining order requested by Débora Falabella.

The woman cannot come within a 2,000-meter radius of Débora. If she does not comply with the decision, even if she has been found not to be responsible, she may be held accountable for the crimes again.

The story of stalking began in 2013, when the fan got into the same elevator as the actress and asked for a photo. The woman, now 40 years old, began sending gifts to the dressing rooms of places where the artist performed, as well as letters with intimate and invasive content and intimidating messages on her cell phone.

In 2015, Débora was performing at the Sesc Copacabana theater in Rio de Janeiro, and the stalker waited for her in a restricted area and, at the end of the play, tried to force her way into the dressing room. She was forcibly removed by security guards. In 2022, Débora Falabella filed a complaint against the woman.

The woman’s lawyers claim that she poses no risk to anyone and that this was demonstrated in the case, through the examination reports. A diagnosis of schizophrenia, from 2004, was included in the stalker’s defense documents.

THE F5 tried to contact Débora Falabella’s lawyers, but received no response. The Court of Justice of São Paulo says that “the information in the records is restricted to the parties and their lawyers”. The Public Prosecutor’s Office of São Paulo said it would not comment.