The trial for the murder of Diana Santos began on Monday in Luxembourg. The 40-year-old woman’s dismembered body was discovered between September and November 2022 in areas near the Luxembourg borders in France and Germany.
The Luxembourg Public Prosecutor’s Office reports that the trial will take place on the 10th, 13th, and 14th of this month at the Diekirch District Court. On trial is the primary suspect, Said Banhakeia.
The 51-year-old Moroccan has been held in preventive detention since October 7, 2022, as authorities continued their investigation into the murder.
The other suspect in the case is identified as Gibran Banhakeia, Said’s nephew and alleged husband of Diana. The man is reportedly missing and being sought abroad, with a national arrest warrant issued in his name. Authorities believe it is “very likely” he is in Morocco.
Due to Gibran’s unknown whereabouts, the prosecution requested the separation of his case from Said’s to allow the latter’s trial to proceed.
The prosecution is seeking a conviction of Said for voluntary manslaughter with premeditation, which could result in a life sentence. If the court finds no premeditation, a conviction for manslaughter without premeditation, carrying a sentence of 8 to 16 years, is still sought.
At the beginning of September, Said’s lawyer stated that her client would plead not guilty during the trial, emphasizing that “there are doubts” in the Public Prosecutor’s case, and that “it will truly be a matter of the judge’s assessment.”
Diana Santos’s body was discovered dismembered and decapitated in an abandoned building in Mont-Saint-Martin, near the French border, on September 19, 2022. A month and a half later, another part of the Portuguese woman’s body was found in Temmels, near the German border, on November 1 of the same year.
The woman’s body was discovered on September 19 by a teenager behind an abandoned building. The woman resided in Luxembourg.
Notícias ao Minuto | 17:05 – 03/10/2022
Diana was reportedly married to the second suspect in this crime—a union that allegedly took place the year of her murder, during the summer, on July 14. The marriage was purportedly arranged for a large sum of money, enabling Gibran to obtain residency documents. By the end of July, the couple had rented a house in Diekirch, where the crime would be committed months later.
Diana Santos had lived in Luxembourg for several years. Her body was discovered dismembered, without the head. She was identified only by her tattoos.
Notícias ao Minuto | 10:49 – 04/10/2022
