During the sentencing at the Court of Estarreja in the Aveiro district, the judge remarked that most of the allegations in the indictment were proven, except for a Facebook post, which Mónica Silva’s aunt refuted being the author.
However, regarding the defendants’ intent, the court determined that they acted on personal beliefs amid the emotional context of Mónica’s disappearance, without intent to slander the complainant.
The aunt of Mónica Silva was acquitted of six slander charges, and her twin sister of one slander charge. They were also cleared of civil compensation claims totaling six thousand euros, as no causal link was established between the alleged moral damages suffered by the complainant and the defendants’ actions.
Leaving the court, both defendants expressed satisfaction with the verdict, stating that justice was served.
Mónica Silva’s twin sister added her hopes in the appeal filed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the family lawyer against the Aveiro collective court’s decision that acquitted Fernando Valente of murder charges.
This case originated from several publications and media statements by the defendants accusing Valente of being the father of the child Mónica Silva was carrying and of murdering her.
The Public Prosecutor partially supported the indictment, citing sufficient evidence of two aggravated defamation crimes by Mónica’s aunt on November 6, 2024, while not upholding the charges against the pregnant woman’s sister.
Fernando Valente was acquitted on July 8 at the Aveiro Court of charges including qualified homicide, abortion, desecration of a cadaver, unlawful access, and acquiring counterfeit currency.
The jury also dismissed compensation claims filed by the victim’s minor children and the widower.
The court further declared the termination of the house arrest imposed on the defendant, who exited the Palace of Justice as a free man.
The Public Prosecutor and Fernando Valente’s family announced intentions to appeal the decision to the Porto Court of Appeal.
Fernando Valente was arrested by the Judiciary Police in November 2023, over a month after the disappearance of the 33-year-old woman, who was seven months pregnant.
The Public Prosecutor accused the defendant of killing the victim and her unborn child on the night of October 3, 2023, in his apartment in Torreira, allegedly to prevent paternity from being attributed and benefiting from her assets.
The indictment also claimed that during the early hours of October 4 and subsequent days, the defendant disposed of the victim’s body, taking it to an undisclosed location, concealing it, and preventing its discovery to date.
