Portuguese Court Sets Verdict Date in Stabbing Death of Andorran Student Manu Gonçalves

The trial in Portugal's Guimarães court over the stabbing death of 19-year-old Andorran Manuel "Manu" Gonçalves, originally from Pas de la Casa, has concluded, with the three-judge panel setting a verdict for 17 June despite repeated defence attempts to disqualify the magistrates.

The incident occurred in the early hours of 12 April 2025 outside Bar Académico at Braga's University of Minho. Prosecutors charge 27-year-old Brazilian national Mateus Marley Machado—held in preventive detention since his arrest that month while attempting to flee—with qualified homicide. They allege he delivered three fatal stab wounds after Gonçalves alerted bouncers that Machado's group was trying to spike women's drinks inside the bar, sparking a confrontation that spilled onto the street. Key witnesses, including a friend of the victim, testified to seeing Machado brandish the knife, with the prosecution citing premeditation and describing the attack as "inhuman and cruel." Braga's criminal court has extended his detention due to flight risk. The charge carries a potential sentence of 16 to 25 years under Portuguese law.

In Friday's closing arguments, the prosecutor called for a penalty "proportional to the gravity of the facts," reinforcing the case through eyewitness accounts. Machado's defence demanded acquittal, insisting on a lack of conclusive evidence placing him at the scene. They submitted expert reports questioning eyewitness reliability and noted the absence of DNA from Machado or others on the knife, suggesting it had been cleaned. As fallback positions, they sought reclassification as privileged homicide or simple participation in a brawl.

The defence mounted multiple challenges to the panel, including the presiding judge and prosecutor, alleging bias linked to a separate case involving defence counsel. They also sought to recuse all three judges, halting proceedings in April. Higher courts dismissed these bids, as did Gonçalves's family lawyers and the public ministry, who dismissed them as delaying tactics.

With testimony complete and submissions heard, the panel has closed the case for sentencing.