Micael da Silva Montoya, the Portuguese man who fatally ran over four people at a wedding in Torrejón de Ardoz, near Madrid, Spain, was sentenced on Tuesday to “revisable permanent imprisonment”.
The case dates back to November 2022, when Micael da Silva Montoya, known as ‘El Portugués’, ran over 13 people at a wedding following an alleged brawl at the restaurant hosting the event. Four people died, including a 17-year-old.
The Portuguese man was sentenced to “revisable permanent imprisonment” for two counts of murder and to 20 years in prison for two other homicide charges.
Since 2015, Spanish Penal Code includes “revisable permanent imprisonment” as the most severe penalty, which practically means a life sentence.
In such cases, the convict must serve a minimum of 25 years in prison before applying for freedom. Montoya will have to serve between 35 and 40 years before his case is reviewed judicially due to the seriousness of the crimes.
Micael da Silva Montoya was also sentenced to 10 years in prison for eight counts of attempted homicide – amounting to an additional 80 years in prison – and three years for another attempted homicide.
The sentence was delivered after the jury opted for the maximum penalty in Spain and dismissed mitigating factors requested by the defense.
The Public Prosecutor had requested a sentence of 226 years in prison: 25 years for each count of murder and 14 years for each attempted homicide charge.
After his arrest, Montoya, who was not invited but attended the ceremony with his minor children and nephews, told officers he accelerated into the crowd out of “fear” after he and his family were allegedly shot at.
This version was refuted by the Spanish National Police, which stated during the trial that no bullet casings were found at the scene.
In his testimony, regardless of the police statements, Montoya reiterated that he was driven by fear and attempted to escape the guests who, he claimed, were chasing him.
“They wanted to kill my children, my nephews. [They shouted], ‘Portuguese, we will kill you, we don’t care about your dead, we will kill you'”, he said, as quoted by Telecinco.
The man stated he honked to alert the victims to move away, stressing he was crouched at the time of the incident because he was hearing “blows and shots”.
He detailed that he fled El Rancho de Torrejón restaurant to escape the assaults against him and his son. He also claimed to have seen a guest with a firearm and insisted another vehicle tried to block his path.
In court, Montoya’s wife explained that she was invited, along with her children, to the ceremony, and it was the groom’s father who personally invited them by visiting her father’s home.
According to her, Micael da Silva Montoya attended the party to care for one of his children, who had mental health issues, and a conflict arose when someone threw a glass at the child.
The argument inside the restaurant continued outside, and according to the Public Prosecutor, the accused went to the car parked nearby and “accelerated the engine knowing people were gathered there”.
“Fully intent on causing their death or assuming the possibility, he ran over several people”, the document reads.
The accused fled the scene after the hit-and-run but was arrested hours later. His two sons, aged 16 and 17 and in the car with him during the escape, were handed over to their mother by authorities.
Those killed in the hit-and-run were a 66-year-old woman, two men aged 68 and 37, and a 17-year-old minor, all Spanish nationals.
