Manu took the weapon with which he was killed to the Academic Bar in Braga

Manuel Gonçalves, a 19-year-old young man murdered near the Academic Bar in Braga last April, was the one who brought the weapon that took his life to the scene, an investigation reveals.

The investigation determined that Manuel Gonçalves, known as Manu, asked a friend to bring a knife before going to the bar, as he feared encountering someone who might harm him that night. His friend complied and gave him a knife, which the student kept with him.

In the early hours of April 12, around 01:00, Manu allegedly hid the knife near trash bins close to the Academic Bar and headed to the venue, where, at around 03:00, he engaged in a discussion with a member of the group associated with the main suspect in his murder, Mateus Machado.

Despite being expelled from the bar, Manu and his friend lingered outside, waiting for about two hours for the group with whom they had been in conflict.

According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, Manu “retrieved the knife he had hidden near the trash bins, arming himself with it and holding it in one hand.”

At 05:00, all involved parties reconvened, leading to physical confrontations during which Manu reportedly lost the knife, and it was seized by Mateus Machado.

“At a certain point during the altercation, the defendant, in a manner not precisely determined, armed himself with the knife that the deceased had brought to the vicinity of the bar and, wielding it, approached Manuel Gonçalves and, once beside him, struck at least three blows,” the Public Prosecutor’s Office stated.

Manuel Gonçalves was taken to the hospital but succumbed to the severity of his injuries.

The incident allegedly began with the report of adulterated alcoholic beverages at the location. Reports indicate Manuel Gonçalves exposed a group attempting to alter drugs in the drinks of some young women.

The 27-year-old suspect, a Brazilian national, fled the scene and was arrested days later in the Castelo Branco area, at his 17-year-old girlfriend’s vacation home, with whom he had traveled from Braga by bus. He is in pre-trial detention.