Homicide at Braga's Bar Académico: court to deliver verdict on Wednesday
The Braga Court will read on Wednesday the verdict for the defendant accused of killing Manuel Gonçalves, 19 years old, with a knife in April 2025.
Verdict on death of young man stabbed in Braga read on Wednesday
The Braga Court will deliver on Wednesday the verdict in the case of the 27-year-old defendant accused of killing Manuel Gonçalves, 19 years old, with a knife outside Bar Académico, in the early hours of 12 April 2025. The case is being closely followed by observer.pt.
In closing arguments, the Public Prosecution Service considered it proven that the defendant is the author of the homicide, which occurred during a "quarrel" that resulted in the death of the young man known as "Manu". The prosecutor did not quantify the sentence to be applied, but argued for a proportional and adequate conviction. "The facts attributed to the defendant have been proven. It is such an inhuman, such a brutal way to take someone's life. Society must understand that these situations cannot go unpunished", she stated.
The defendant faces charges of qualified homicide, with a sentencing range of between 16 and 25 years in prison, and illegal possession of a weapon.
Evidence cited by the prosecution
For the Public Prosecution Service, the defendant's initial statements, as well as conversations he had with his girlfriend about the strategy to adopt in an appeal, and traces found near the bar — including DNA on a bottle and a stone — prove, "without doubt", his presence at the scene and the commission of the crime. The question of who was carrying the knife was considered by the prosecutor to be an "ancillary" matter.
The lawyer for the victim's family subscribed to the Public Prosecution Service's arguments, emphasising that the defendant "acted with cold disdain". José Dantas also highlighted the "extreme suffering of the family" and referred to a "profound trauma" of Manuel's parents and sister, who were psychologically affected and subjected to medication.
The defence requests acquittal
The defendant's lawyer, Marta Bessa Rodrigues, argued that her client did not strike "the fatal blow to Manu" and asked the court to analyse all the evidence, all the contradictions and all the testimonies. "They are trying to place him there [at the crime scene]", she stated, arguing that there are "doubts" about the authorship of the facts.
Should the court find that the defendant had "causal involvement" in what happened, the defence requested conviction for privileged homicide — whose maximum penalty is five years in prison — and never for qualified homicide. Alternatively, the lawyer admitted conviction for participation in a brawl.
As for what may have happened inside the bar, Marta Bessa Rodrigues argued that her client "did not drug anyone, did not hurt anyone", with no reason justifying the beginning of the confrontation that occurred later outside. She also added that the premeditation may have been on the part of a friend of the victim, who was carrying a knife "at the request" of Manu himself, refuting the thesis of "special culpability or coldness" on the part of the defendant.
What the prosecution says about the beginning of the confrontation
According to the Public Prosecution Service's accusations, the facts began at 1:18 am, in one of the interior spaces of Bar Académico of the University of Minho, when the victim confronted an element of the defendant's group after perceiving that he had tampered with the drink of a young female customer of the establishment.
The confrontation continued to the public road, in front of the bar. "In this context, the defendant, in possession of a knife and wielding and brandishing it, advanced towards the injured party, who was unarmed and, once next to him, struck him three times, mortally wounding him", describes the prosecution.
Source: Google News PT — Crime (pt)