Évora court joins abortion crime to trial of man for death of pregnant woman

The man on trial at the Évora Court for the crime of qualified homicide of his seven-month pregnant partner, in Borba , is now also charged with the crime of abortion , by decision of the panel of judges.

In Tuesday's session of the trial, in which the final allegations should have been made but did not happen, the president of the panel of judges promoted a “non-substantial change” of facts, compared to what is stated in the indictment.

According to the judge, although the victim had been stabbed in the front of his body, the attack was made from behind.

Furthermore, the judge added that the defendant, in addition to the crime of qualified homicide, is now charged with the crime of abortion.

Given this change in facts in relation to what was stated in the indictment and indictment orders, the panel of judges gave the defendant's lawyer, João Martins Leitão, five days to prepare his defense and scheduled the final arguments session for March 11 , at 10:00 am.

In Tuesday's session, the lawyer representing the victim's family, António Pinto Mateus, presented a request for compensation for non-pecuniary damages, in an amount never less than 25 thousand euros, to be paid to the two children of the woman who died, currently aged 4 and 7.

The trial of this 45-year-old man, who is in preventive detention at the Elvas Prison, in the district of Portalegre, began on January 17, with the defendant refusing to give a statement.

However, according to the recordings of the statements he gave during the judicial interrogation and the investigation phase, he denied having killed his then partner and claimed to have never approached the body or the place where she was found dead.

The alleged homicide occurred on the morning of June 22, 2023, in a deserted location known as Alto do Bosque, in the Borba area, in the district of Évora , with the man being arrested by the Judicial Police on September 27 of that year.

According to the preliminary decision, which the Lusa agency had access to, the defendant requested this phase because he disagreed with the indictment, but Judge Marcos Ramos decided to indict him for a crime of qualified homicide, in line with the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP).

The defendant and his wife, aged 35, had been in a romantic relationship since the end of 2019, from which a son was born, and began living together in 2023, in the municipality of Elvas, when they were already expecting a second child, according to the MP.

According to the MP, days before the alleged murder, the two went to Alto do Bosque, in Borba, to collect oregano to later sell, with the woman returning alone to the place, on the morning of June 22, 2023, and informing her partner.

The MP stated that, that morning, the man went to Alto do Bosque and, with an unspecified sharp instrument, struck the victim twice in the chest, causing his death.

Before leaving the scene, the man put the woman's blood on a razor and placed it on the victim's right hand, the MP accused.