During the reading of the judgment at the Funchal Central Criminal Court, the presiding judge, Teresa de Sousa, asserted that it is “unequivocal” the defendant committed “a crime of voluntary manslaughter” while his ex-wife was asleep and unable to resist.
The man, who was being held in preventive detention, was convicted for the aggravated murder charge brought against him by the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP).
The judge emphasized the rising number of women killed each year and described the defendant’s conduct as “treacherous” and “cold.”
“It is very sad and reprehensible,” she remarked, addressing the man, highlighting that he killed the woman and mother of two of his children “with less care than one would kill an animal.”
Following the judgment, defense attorney Américo Dias expressed relief, stating it was “very good” the defendant “only received a 20-year prison sentence without extradition, considering he is a foreigner.”
The lawyer added that he would not appeal the decision, deeming it a “just and appropriate measure.”
The case began in the Funchal Central Criminal Court on September 16, with the defendant choosing to remain silent.
According to the MP’s accusation, the homicide occurred on the morning of October 30, 2024, while the victim was sleeping.
The defendant, wielding a metal pipe, struck “at least” three blows to the side of her head, then left the scene, leaving the victim in bed “as if still asleep.”
The 53-year-old man concealed the victim’s wallet and the metal pipe in a wooded area. The woman was found dead in the bedroom by one of her children.
The MP further stated that the defendant “acted with complete insensitivity and indifference to the victim’s life,” when she “couldn’t offer any resistance.”
The defendant is originally from Argentina but holds Venezuelan nationality and has two children with the victim.
In the trial’s first session, initial witnesses were heard, including the victim’s and defendant’s daughter, the son’s girlfriend, and other family members.
Testimonies referred to jealousy and arguments between the couple, yet none foresaw the crime, dismissing prior physical violence.
According to witnesses, the man was not violent nor excessively consumed alcohol.
The victim’s daughter, who visited her father once in prison, stated in court that she asked him why he killed her mother. The man repeatedly responded he “didn’t know” why he committed the crime.
The judgment reading was originally scheduled for Tuesday but was postponed due to a non-substantial alteration of facts.
Defense attorney Américo Dias explained at the time that the changes concerned the daughter’s statements during the trial, where she noted that her father searched for her two or three times in her room before the crime and asked her if she “would take long” to go to school, suggesting “some indications of premeditation.”
The lawyer also suggested that these added facts to the Public Prosecutor’s accusation would likely aggravate the sentence.
[Updated at 4:40 PM]
