Convicted of killing German couple in Alentejo await new ruling while free
Two caretakers sentenced to 22 years for the death of elderly Germans in 2023 remain at large. The court has postponed the new ruling until September, citing the judicial holiday period.
Convicted of killing German couple in Alentejo await new ruling while free
A man and a woman, sentenced to two decades in prison for the murder of two German tourists in the Alentejo region, remain free whilst awaiting a third judicial ruling, scheduled only for next September.
The facts date back to April 2023, when Ian Otto, aged 79, and Ilse Borwart, 71, were discovered dead at the property where they lived, called Quinta do Paraíso, located in Baleizão. The bodies were already in an advanced state of decomposition. The alert was given by the victims' son, who lives in Germany and had been unable to contact his parents for several days.
The criminal investigation by the Judicial Police culminated in the arrest of the couple's caretakers, identified as Mónica and Fernando, around a month after the crime, in the Aljustrel area. The authorities established that the motive was related to deteriorating relations between the property owners and the employees, as well as matters of money. The defendants appropriated one of the victims' cars and their bank cards.
The two accused were released in May of the previous year, after the maximum period of preventive detention expired. In April 2024, the Beja Court handed down the first conviction ruling, but the defence, led by lawyer Pedro Pestana, appealed. Given the absence of a final ruling, the inmates ultimately did not return to prison.
The Évora Court of Appeal annulled the first-instance court's ruling twice. The judges considered that the Beja magistrates had not properly re-examined the evidence, merely reproducing the previously invalidated document without demonstrating that the valid evidence, analysed in isolation, was sufficient to support the conclusions reached.
On 23 April of the current year, the case returned to Beja Court. Three months later, the announcement of the new ruling was postponed to September, with the court justifying this by the proximity of the judicial holiday period. In the meantime, the two convicted murderers remain free.
Pedro Pestana, who represents the couple, described it as "extremely rare" that a higher court would annul a conviction twice. The defence lawyer stressed that the second court document was essentially a copy of the first.
Presently, Mónica and Fernando carry out occasional agricultural work and have re-established residence in the Alentejo region. Although they acknowledge the theft, they deny any involvement in the deaths. The judicial authorities of Germany have already requested information from Portugal about the outcome of this case.
Source: Correio da Manhã
Source: Correio da Manhã