Ademir Moreno, originally from Praia, Cape Verde, was attacked outside a nightclub on the island of Faial in March 2024, where he fell unconscious on the street with a cranial hematoma and subsequently died at Hospital da Horta.
The trial began on June 5 at the Angra do Heroísmo Court on Terceira Island and continued today, with a new session scheduled for July 2.
This afternoon, seven witnesses were heard, with nine more yet to testify.
The family is calling for the 24-year-old assailant to be convicted of racially motivated qualified homicide, but the defense attorney denies any racial motivation.
“The defendant admitted causing the death because he delivered the punch that proved fatal. The only argument the defense has is a permanent attempt to dismiss racial hatred, which does not actually exist,” said defense attorney Elísio Lourenço to journalists after the session.
“It’s a situation of conflict and fighting. Even if there’s a component of involving being white or black, that’s not the cause. It’s just rivalry, nothing more,” he added.
The victim’s wife, however, believes it was a racially motivated crime.
Speaking to journalists, Lurdes Ferreira mentioned hearing witnesses report the defendant’s background and describe instances of using “very unpleasant words with curses towards black people.”
“I will appeal to the highest level because my husband’s death cannot have been in vain. He was an excellent person, a good father, a good husband. He was a man at peace with life, an excellent friend, a good-spirited, intelligent person, and I can’t let him have died in vain just because he liked to go out and have fun,” she emphasized.
Ademir Moreno, 49, was a construction worker in Faial but lived on the mainland.
The wife stated that she was only able to attend the trial thanks to an anonymous donation covering travel and accommodation expenses.
Throughout the afternoon, several witnesses, heard via videoconference, said they witnessed the assault outside the nightclub and reported that the aggressor punched the victim, who fell unconscious to the ground, after which the defendant fled the scene.
Not all witnesses confirmed hearing the defendant use racist language, though in some cases, the Public Prosecutor highlighted discrepancies between what was said in court and statements to the Judiciary Police and the Public Ministry.
According to reports, a dispute occurred before the assault between the defendant’s girlfriend and a 17-year-old girl with whom he had exchanged messages.
Also heard was a friend of the defendant who has black family members and testified that the young man interacts with black people and she never saw him exhibit racist behavior.
After the session concluded, a vigil was held outside the court to demand justice and express solidarity with the victim’s family.
