A trial involving Micael da Silva Montoya, the Portuguese man charged with fatally running over four individuals during a wedding in Torrejón de Ardoz, near Madrid, Spain, featured testimony from the bride’s grandfather. He stated that the accused “ran over everyone in his path.”
The incident dates back to November 2022 when Micael da Silva Montoya, referred to as ‘El Portugués,’ allegedly ran over 13 people during a wedding following a reported altercation at the restaurant hosting the event. Four individuals, including a 17-year-old minor, lost their lives.
After his arrest, the Portuguese national, who was not invited to the ceremony but attended with his minor children and nephews, told officers he accelerated into the crowd out of “fear” after he and his family allegedly faced gunfire. This claim has been denied by the Spanish National Police, which confirmed on Tuesday that no bullet casings were found at the scene.
In court, the bride’s grandfather recounted witnessing the incident, stating he saw the collision while outside the party for a smoke. He described seeing “bodies flying.”
“He ran over everyone in his path. The bodies flew. No one had weapons, and nobody started fighting. We are good people,” he asserted.
Last Friday, the Portuguese man’s wife explained that she was invited along with her children to attend the ceremony, and emphasized that the groom’s father personally invited them at her father’s house.
According to her, Micael da Silva Montoya attended the event to care for one of his sons, who suffers from mental health issues. The conflict reportedly began when someone threw a glass at the child.
Micael da Silva Montoya faces charges for 13 counts of homicide (four of which are completed) and could be sentenced to 226 years in prison. Despite the maximum punishment under the Spanish Penal Code being 40 years, there is a potential for a life sentence, revisited after 40 years, for extremely serious crimes.
