The main suspect in the murder of Manuel Gonçalves, known as ‘Manu’, near the Academic Bar in Braga, will remain in preventive detention at Custóias Prison in Matosinhos, where he was taken due to security concerns.
The decision was made by the Directorate-General for Reintegration and Prison Services (DGRSP) following police reports indicating potential reprisals among inmates at the Regional Prison Facility of Braga.
The authorities were contacted, but the DGRSP cited legal obligations to confidentiality regarding the legal and prison status of individuals under their charge and therefore declined to provide any information.
The suspect, Mateus Machado, 27, was presented to the judicial authorities over the weekend and was placed under preventive detention. His defense attorney, António Falé de Carvalho, announced plans to appeal this decision in the coming days.
The death of a 19-year-old at the door of the Academic Bar in Braga occurred over the weekend, after the victim reported a group tampering with alcoholic drinks. The defense claims the knife found “belonged to the victim and not the aggressor,” and that certain details, such as the DNA found on the weapon, are still missing.
Teresa Banha with Lusa | 16:35 – 19/04/2025
The man, of Brazilian nationality, was arrested in the Castelo Branco area at the vacation home of his 17-year-old girlfriend, with whom he had traveled by bus from Braga. The young woman’s family stated in an interview with TVI that they “had no idea” about anything.
The family of the young woman, aged 17, noted that the couple traveled to a vacation home in the Castelo Branco area for the weekend. The suspect was detained at this location.
Notícias ao Minuto | 23:41 – 18/04/2025
Over the weekend, reports indicated that Mateus Machado was to be deported from Portugal due to a criminal record in the United States. The suspect was living in Portugal under an interest expression regime, awaiting an authorization for residence, which had recently been denied.
He had served a two-year and three-month prison sentence in the United States before being deported for participating in an armed robbery group.
The homicide occurred early morning on April 12th, initiated by allegations of tampering with alcoholic beverages. Manuel Gonçalves reported a group suspected of trying to mix drugs into the drinks of some young women.
The victim, a 12th-grade student, alerted security to the situation, prompting aggression after the now-detained individual and his group were expelled. A fight ensued outside, during which the victim was repeatedly stabbed by an individual who fled and remains at large.
Manuel Gonçalves was transported to the hospital but succumbed to the severity of his injuries.
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