The mother of Mónica Silva, known as the pregnant woman from Murtosa, Celeste Barbosa, asserted on Tuesday that she would never forgive the man suspected of killing her daughter, Fernando Valente, and also accused his parents of being accomplices in the crime.
Outside the Aveiro court, where the verdict in Fernando Valente’s trial is to be announced, Celeste Barbosa spoke to reporters. When asked if she would ever forgive the suspect for what happened to her daughter, she stated, “I would not forgive.”
“It would be the last thing I did in my life. I want to know where he put my daughter. He, his father, and his mother,” she declared.
Celeste Barbosa accused Fernando Valente’s parents of being involved in Mónica Silva’s murder, reiterating that “the three of them” killed her daughter.
She also expressed her expectation that the maximum penalty be imposed on the suspect—25 years. She stated that if Valente were acquitted, “justice would mean nothing,” and the family would “appeal.”
Barbosa emphasized that the family would not give up on finding Mónica’s body, believing that Fernando Valente “will never reveal what happened because all three are involved,” again referring to the suspect’s parents.
“For me, he picked up my daughter, and his parents were already at the apartment,” she accused.
It should be noted that today, the verdict is to be read in the trial of the man suspected of killing Mónica Silva, the pregnant woman from Murtosa, who has been missing since 2023.
Public Prosecutor Requested Maximum Sentence for Fernando Valente
On June 11, the Public Prosecutor (MP) requested the maximum sentence (25 years) for the suspect in the murder of Mónica Silva, stating that all facts had been proven.
During the closing arguments this morning at the Aveiro court, the Public Prosecutor expressed no doubts about the multitude of facts allowing the conclusion that the defendant was responsible for the death of Mónica Silva and her fetus, missing since October 2023.
The prosecutor insisted that all facts of the accusation should be proven, consequently leading to an exemplary sentence for the defendant, ideally the maximum of 25 years’ imprisonment.
The Case of the Pregnant Woman from Murtosa
Fernando Valente, who had a romantic relationship with the victim resulting in a pregnancy, is accused of the crimes of qualified homicide, abortion, desecration of a corpse, illegal access, and acquiring counterfeit currency for circulation.
The defendant, currently under house arrest, was arrested by the Judiciary Police (PJ) in November 2023, over a month after the disappearance of the 33-year-old woman, who was seven months pregnant.
The MP accuses the defendant of killing the victim and her unborn child on the night of October 3, 2023, at his apartment in Torreira, to avoid attributing paternity and benefiting from her assets.
The accusation further states that during the early hours of October 4 and the following days, the defendant allegedly disposed of the victim’s body, taking it to an unknown location, concealing it to this day.
