Overview of My Favorite Murder — Episode 517: Two-Faced: John of God
This episode is an interview with journalist/producer Martina Castro about her new bilingual documentary podcast Two-Faced: John of God (Spanish feed referenced as Dos Caras / Juan de Dios). Castro—co‑founder of Radio Ambulante and head of Adonde Media—walks hosts Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff through why she pursued the story, how it was reported and produced, and the central themes: the international rise of a Brazilian spiritual healer who became famous (including an Oprah visit), the alleged abuse and criminality that followed, and the complicated mix of culture, belief, desperation and exploitation that allowed it to persist for decades.
Who’s on the episode
- Hosts: Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff (My Favorite Murder)
- Guest: Martina Castro — journalist, producer, co‑founder Radio Ambulante; founder of Adonde Media; creator/host of Two-Faced: John of God
- Production note: episode promotes Two-Faced: John of God — Exactly Right Media’s first bilingual podcast, launching Feb 4, 2026 (new episodes Wednesdays).
Main topics discussed
- Why Castro chose the story: international reach, cultural context, the Oprah connection, and its potential to resonate with English and Spanish audiences.
- The figure “John of God” (João de Deus): a charismatic spiritual healer from Brazil who built a global following and a medical‑style practice at a compound called “La Casa.”
- How the movement grew: tourist-driven expansion, multilingual volunteers/tour guides, and a multi‑level, almost MLM‑style recruitment model that monetized belief and visitors.
- The treatments and allegations: testimonial and ritual healing, “invisible” surgeries, and disturbing accounts of physical procedures (notably eye surgeries) performed without standard medical protocols.
- The role of culture and desperation: why people from Brazil and abroad turned to him (cultural familiarity with non‑Western healers, lack of options, terminal illness, hope).
- The media effect: celebrity legitimation (Oprah’s visit) and how high-profile attention amplified both believers and critics.
- Investigative and legal work: survivors, journalists and a prosecutor who exposed abuse; the challenges of taking testimony when believers frame experiences as spiritual/entity encounters rather than encounters with the man himself.
- Ongoing legacy: the belief system’s flexibility, the compound’s continued draw for some followers, and the limits of “closure” even after legal action.
Key takeaways
- Context matters: Belief in healers like John of God is culturally situated; curiosity or skepticism must be balanced with cultural understanding.
- Not a simple question of “did he heal people?”: Castro deliberately avoids a binary verdict on whether healing occurred, focusing instead on how power, spectacle and corruption allowed abuse to happen even if some outcomes seemed positive to attendees.
- Vulnerability was weaponized: The movement targeted people at their most desperate (serious illness, no options) and used testimonials, ritual spectacle, and social reinforcement to normalize extreme practices.
- Networks enabled abuse: It wasn’t only one man — helpers, promoters, foreign tour guides, and economic incentives created a system that became “too big to fail.”
- Journalism and prosecution matter: Survivors, investigative reporters and prosecutors faced major obstacles (belief, fear, social pressure) but were key to revealing wrongdoing and creating accountability.
Notable quotes
- Martina Castro: “I’ll believe he has this power, but that he was corrupted or that he used it for bad purposes.”
- On why people stayed silent or reframed testimony: many witnesses spoke of entities rather than the man himself, complicating legal and journalistic efforts.
- Reflection on victims: “They were chosen for their vulnerability,”—a central observation about who was targeted.
Content warnings
- Descriptions of harrowing medical/eye procedures and sexual abuse allegations are discussed. Listener discretion advised.
Why this series matters
- Two-Faced: John of God is positioned as a bilingual, international documentary that crosses cultural, linguistic and legal boundaries to examine how spiritual authority can morph into abuse. It highlights journalistic difficulties when investigating belief systems, the ethical questions around spectacle vs. healing, and the aftereffects on survivors and communities.
How to listen / call to action
- Two-Faced: John of God launches Feb 4, 2026; episodes released Wednesdays.
- Available in both English and Spanish (search the Spanish feed under the title referenced in the episode: Dos Caras / Juan de Dios). Subscribe, listen, and consider leaving a review to support the bilingual release.
Production credits (from the episode)
- Guest/Creator: Martina Castro (Adonde Media, Radio Ambulante)
- Hosts: Georgia Hardstark, Karen Kilgariff
- Produced by: Exactly Right Media (episode credits include senior producer Molly Smith, associate producer Tessa Hughes, editor Aristotle Acevedo, mixer Liana Squalacci, researchers Mary McGlashan and Allie Elkin)
If you want the core of the story without spoilers: the podcast focuses less on adjudicating supernatural claims and more on documenting the abuse of power, the system that enabled it, and the survivors and professionals who fought to expose it.