Oporto Court of Appeal increases sentence to 14 years for homicide in Santa Maria da Feira
The Oporto Court of Appeal increased from 12 to 14 years the sentence of a man who killed his lover in Lourosa. The decision has not yet become final.
Sentence increased to 14 years for homicide and corpse desecration in Santa Maria da Feira
The Oporto Court of Appeal increased from 12 to 14 years in prison the sentence imposed on a 57-year-old man convicted of the homicide of his lover in Santa Maria da Feira, district of Aveiro, according to reporting by observador.pt.
The ruling, dated 9 September, upheld in part the appeal filed by the Public Prosecutor's Office and reformed the sentences handed down by the Feira Court in April.
In that initial conviction, the defendant had been sentenced to 11 years and nine months in prison for the crime of simple homicide and an additional nine months for the crime of corpse desecration. Through cumulative sentencing, he was then given a single sentence of 12 years.
The Public Prosecutor's Office appealed to the Court of Appeal, considering the punishment insufficient, and requested a single sentence of between 16 years and eight months and 21 years in prison.
The appeals court judges opted for a middle position: they increased the sentence for homicide to 13 and a half years, maintaining the nine months for corpse desecration. The new cumulative sentence resulted in a single prison sentence of 14 years.
The decision is not yet final. The defendant appealed to the Supreme Court of Justice, so the ruling has not yet become final.
The crime occurred on 15 April 2025, at the victim's house in Lourosa, Santa Maria da Feira. The court established as proven that the defendant pressed his lover's neck — with whom he maintained casual sexual relations — causing his death by asphyxiation.
The victim's body was only discovered on 24 April, buried in the yard of the defendant's house. The Judicial Police (PJ) arrested the suspect the following day.
At the time of arrest, the PJ indicated that the detainee and the victim were old acquaintances and stated there were strong indications that the purpose of the crime had been the appropriation of the victim's property.
During the trial, the defendant denied having committed the homicide, but the court found that the explanations he presented were contradicted by the evidence and by witness testimony.
Source: Google News PT — Crime (pt)