Hugo P., who grew up with the family of the defendant, considered like a brother, was the sixth and final witness heard today on the first day of the trial of the accused in the triple homicide at a barbershop in Penha de França, Lisbon, in October 2024.
On the day Fernando S. killed barber Carlos Pina, 43, and taxi drivers Bruno and Fernanda, aged 34 and 36, Hugo P. stated that he entered the “Ganda Pente” barbershop to greet those present while accompanying the accused, who merely intended to get a haircut.
Contrary to other testimonies, Hugo P. denied any argument between the accused, who was “acting normally,” and the first victim, barber Carlos Pina, and also denied the presence of the defendant’s father with them.
He then heard a shot: “I turned and saw Pina on the floor, panicked, and ran away,” he recounted, highlighting that he was not on-site when more shots rang out – “two, three, four, I’m not sure” – without knowing whom they were aimed at.
Hugo claimed that prior to the incident, he had gone with the defendant’s father to fetch Fernando S. from a restaurant in Saldanha, where he was “causing trouble,” following a request from his wife.
According to this witness, Fernando S. was always accompanied by a family member after being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia about five years ago at the age of 28 because when unmedicated, he poses a danger to himself and those around him, becoming “aggressive, suspicious.”
“There were no knives at home. We hid everything (…) We already knew he was going to kill someone. Either his wife or himself. Unfortunately, it ended like this,” he said, emphasizing the family’s struggle with the defendant’s illness, who attempted suicide by jumping from a window and once drove the car against a wall.
Although family members constantly accompanied him, Hugo P. claimed ignorance of any firearm being available to the defendant, nor did he know where it was obtained.
The defendant’s mental illness was explored by the defense, but the judge, who read the facts to the accused, noted that he had demonstrated “enough capability to be cautious in the responses” and “cognitive capability to understand the facts” after, during his identification in court, Fernando S. claimed not to know his full name or that of his father, stating his mother’s name is Maria.
A psychiatric evaluation of the defendant was requested by the criminal instruction court, but experts considered him capable of distinguishing right from wrong.
The court also heard two workers from a car wash opposite the barbershop where victims Bruno and Fernanda had left their taxis for cleaning. One of them, José Carlos Belo, witnessed the shooting and Bruno’s fall, the second victim, but did not see Fernanda’s death as he crouched while trying to escape.
The collective also heard a young resident of the same building as the defendant, who saw Fernando S., his father (who has the same name), and Hugo P. fleeing in a car post-crime (which was denied by Hugo, who stated he left for a time fearing neighborhood retaliation).
This young man further stated that he saw Fernando S. storing the gun in a pouch and claimed that the neighbors, who gathered at the windows, were threatened by the defendant’s mother: “You’re next,” she allegedly said.
Another witness dining with friends at a nearby table to the accused in the restaurant before the crimes confirmed that the latter attempted to provoke them, “causing trouble,” speaking nonsensically, to which they did not respond.
“I think our silence saved us at that moment,” this witness stated, further affirming that at one point, he looked back towards the defendant, seeing him with a gun.
The first witness heard today was Fábio F., a barber who worked for four years with Carlos Pina, who recounted that an argument began with the accused demanding a haircut, which was refused as the barbershop owner wanted to have lunch first.
Fábio also mentioned not seeing the weapon, only the defendant’s arm gesture pointing first at Carlos Pina’s head, then at Bruno’s, with bangs and victims falling.
About Fernanda, she was not in his field of view, so he only heard the shot.
This barber survived an attempted murder, as the accused shot at him but hit the shop window instead.
He further mentioned trying to protect the customer he was attending to, a young Colombian national, who “cried a lot, which is normal,” before managing to escape.
Today, Fábio stated that he takes medication for anxiety and fears for his and his family’s lives.
Fernando S.’s father chose to exercise the right not to testify against his son.
Due to fear of the defendant’s family, all witnesses, except for Hugo P., opted to testify without the presence of the accused or family members.
The trial will continue next Thursday with the testimony of Fernanda’s mother, the third victim who has become an assistant in the case.
All victims left behind minor children, and Fernanda was pregnant.
