Father sentenced to 23 years for shooting son dead in Amareleja — record sentence in Beja
Beja Court has sentenced Sanches Cardas, 68, to 23 years in prison for his son's murder during a dispute over a horse business deal. It is the heaviest sentence imposed by that court since 2014.
Beja Court applies record sentence for murder between father and son
Beja Court has sentenced Sanches Cardas, aged 68, to a single sentence of 23 years in prison for the aggravated qualified homicide of his eldest son and for possession of a prohibited weapon, as reported by lidadornoticias.pt. The decision, delivered on Tuesday by a panel of judges, represents the heaviest sentence imposed by that court for homicide since the judicial reform came into force in 2014.
The crime occurred on the morning of 10 June 2025, at the encampment of Baldio das Ferrarias, in Amareleja, municipality of Moura. An argument motivated by the buying and selling of a horse escalated into violence involving several members of the Cardas family. Sanches wielded a shotgun and, at a distance of two metres, fired at his son António Cardas, aged 40, killing him.
The panel established as proven fact that Orlando Cardas, aged 35, the victim's brother and also the defendant's son, incited his father during the confrontation with the words "shoot him". Orlando was sentenced to nine years in prison for complicity in aggravated qualified homicide — not as a co-perpetrator — and also benefited from acquittal on three further charges against him.
Judge criticises defendant's conduct in court
Before announcing the sentences, the panel president directed harsh words at Sanches Cardas: "you do not deserve to savour freedom again. This sentence to be served in full leaves you with no alternative in life." The statement came in response to a remark made by the defendant in the first hearing of the trial, when he said that "a father who kills a son should not be imprisoned, he should be hanged."
The magistrate also criticised the complete absence of any sign of remorse or compassion for his son's death. The version presented by Sanches Cardas concerning the circumstances of the shooting did not merit credibility from the panel, particularly because the defendant himself, in an attempt to exonerate his son Orlando, ended up relating the facts in a way that contradicted his initial defence.
To Orlando, the judge was equally pointed: "despite the concerted testimony of some witnesses, and in your eagerness to acquit him, it was your father who gave a version that implicated him. You could have avoided all this, but you motivated your father to fire."
Compensation of 195,000 euros to the victim's family
The court also determined that the two defendants pay, jointly and severally, total compensation of 195,000 euros to the widow and three children of António, distributed across five categories of damages resulting from the crime.
Previous homicide convictions recorded in the same court — in the cases of Salvada and Baleizão, both in Beja municipality — had resulted in sentences of 20 years in prison, below the 22 years applied specifically for the homicide charge in this case.
Defence announces appeal to Évora Court of Appeal
Pedro Pestana, lawyer for Sanches Cardas, announced that he will appeal the decision to the Évora Court of Appeal, not ruling out the possibility of requesting the trial be retried. The defence grounds its position on a request, refused by the presiding judge, that the case be heard before a jury court.
Both defendants await the final judgment becoming res judicata whilst in preventive custody at Beja Prison, a situation they have been in since the date of the crime.
Public Prosecution Service requests certificate for domestic violence
The Public Prosecution Service prosecutor submitted a request seeking the extraction of a certificate for possible criminal proceedings against Sanches Cardas for domestic violence. The request stems from a trial hearing in which the defendant insulted his daughter-in-law, calling her "a con artist" and accusing her of wanting money, without showing respect for the loss of her husband.
Source: Google News PT — Crime (pt)