Shivangi Sinha
Lifetime’s ‘Terror Comes Knocking: The Marcela Borges Story’ tells the tale of Marcela Borges, a Florida resident living with her husband, Rubens Morais, and their 5-year-old son, Ryan. With Marcela pregnant and the family eagerly anticipating their second child, their lives take a terrifying turn when armed intruders invade their home and abduct them. Demanding $200,000 for their release, the family faces impossible odds. Unable to secure such a large amount, Marcela risks everything to protect her loved ones. Directed by Felipe Rodriguez, the film masterfully captures a pulse-pounding atmosphere of peril grounded by the extraordinary bravery of ordinary people, and that is what makes it beautiful.
Terror Comes Knocking is Based on a True Story of a Family in Florida
‘Terror Comes Knocking: The Marcela Borges Story’ is inspired by real events and is part of Lifetime’s ‘Ripped From the Headlines’ series. Written by Crystal Verge, the film stays remarkably faithful to the harrowing true story, capturing the most grueling days faced by Marcela Borges and her family. It all began in November 2009 in Winter Garden, Florida, where Marcela lived with her husband, Rubens Laureano Morais, and their 5-year-old son, Ryan. Their lives were as unassuming as any other family’s, rooted in a close-knit community where they felt safe and secure—until their world was turned upside down.
27-year-old Marcela was two months pregnant with her second child, Lucas at the time. On the morning of November 15, 2009, four strangers appeared at the family’s door unexpectedly. As soon as the door was opened, they stormed inside and used duct tape to bind Marcela, her husband Rubens, and Ryan. The family was then forced into their own SUV and driven to a house in Apopka, Florida, where they were held overnight. During their captivity, the intruders demanded a ransom for their release.
The following day, the family was driven back to their home, where the nightmare continued. One of the intruders forced Marcela to withdraw $23,600 from her bank account in Ocoee. Back at the house, the captors, armed with guns, maintained control through constant threats. Rubens later testified that the intruders played a game of Russian roulette with their young son. During the abduction, Marcela was pistol-whipped, and Rubens was brutally beaten. Marcela recalled believing, without a doubt, that they were all going to be killed. On November 17, during a brief altercation, she managed to pull down the mask of one of the intruders. The intruder, who was a woman, was later identified as Bianca Dos Santos. The latter’s mother had worked on Rubens’ taxes for some time and thar is where Bianca had gotten the information about the family. Marcela reported that the latter panicked and screamed, “She saw my face and knows who I am. You have to kill her!”
Marcela Borges Was Shot at While She Was Fleeing From her Intruders
In a desperate attempt to save herself and her family, Marcela made the courageous decision to jump from the second story of her home and run for help. As she fled, one of the intruders chased after her, firing shots. One bullet struck her in the left side of her back, passing through her and then hitting her left wrist. Nearby construction workers witnessed the chaos and later testified that the gunman fired a few more shots before fleeing the scene in a black SUV driven by another accomplice. Marcela, though badly wounded, managed to make her way to a neighbor’s house, where she was able to alert the police and get the help she so desperately needed. When the police arrived, they found Ryan unharmed, and Rubens had sustained some head injuries. They were all taken to the Orlando Regional Medical Center and got the care that they required.
On November 15, police arrested 25-year-old Miguel Diaz-Santiz and his 20-year-old cousin, Victor Manuel Sanchez. Both of them lived together in an apartment in Apopka, Florida. The following day, 19-year-old Oscar Diaz Hernandez was also taken into custody in connection with the crime. However, Bianca Dos Santos, whose identity Marcela had revealed during the ordeal, remained at large. The three arrested individuals were charged with attempted homicide, kidnapping, and home-invasion robbery. They were held without bail as the case progressed. Their trial finally began in 2012, with both Marcela and Rubens bravely taking the stand to recount the harrowing events they had endured.
Marcela shared how the trauma had deeply affected her young son, Ryan. He was so terrified that he refused to play outside and harbored a fear of anyone who spoke Spanish, believing they were the “bad guys” who had hurt his family. Victor was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to life in prison. He is currently incarcerated at the Okaloosa Correctional Institution. Miguel, on the other hand, pleaded no contest to the charges and was also sentenced to life imprisonment. He is now serving his sentence at the Everglades Correctional Institution. Because Oscar was in a vegetative state at the time and was diagnosed to be for the rest of his life, the charges against him were dropped.
Read More: Where is Marcela Borges Now?
