The trial of the defendant is scheduled to begin at 09:30 and, in addition to continuing in the afternoon, another session is planned for Friday morning, according to the judiciary portal Citius.
A source from the Portalegre Court stated that the trial, by a collective of judges, is expected to take place behind closed doors.
In January, the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) disclosed that the man, a Spanish national, was charged with a total of 10 crimes.
The defendant will stand trial for two counts of attempted murder, two counts of rape, two counts of kidnapping, two counts of aggravated robbery for attempted use of a firearm, and two counts of possession of a prohibited weapon, according to the MP.
The MP noted that the events occurred on August 6, 2024, near the Póvoa e Meadas Dam in the municipality of Castelo de Vide, Portalegre district.
The victims were two young women, aged 17 and 22 at the time, who are now 18 and 23 years old.
The defendant is currently in pre-trial detention at the Carregueira Prison, awaiting the judicial proceedings.
The investigation was led by the MP from the Procuradoria do Juízo de Competência Genérica de Nisa, with the assistance of the Judiciary Police (PJ).
On August 6, 2024, a source from the Territorial Command of Portalegre of the GNR revealed that the two young women had been shot with a shotgun, resulting in serious injuries, near the Póvoa e Meadas Dam.
The man was apprehended by the GNR on suspicion of firing the shots at the scene of the incident after attempting to flee.
According to the GNR source, the officers found the young women restrained, one with plastic cuffs, both undressed from the waist down, while the suspect was in underwear.
Information from the GNR, gathered at the time, revealed the suspect lived near the dam. One of the young women resided in Castelo de Vide, and the other in the Lisbon area.
The alert for the incident was issued at 23:50 on August 6, 2024.
