Family Holds Memorial for Stabbed Student Manu as Suspect's Trial Hangs in Balance

One year after the fatal stabbing of 19-year-old Andorran student Manuel de Oliveira Gonçalves, known as Manu, outside a bar in Braga, Portugal, his family held a memorial Mass on Sunday afternoon at Sant Pere church in Pas de la Casa. The service coincided with the ongoing suspension of the trial against Brazilian suspect Matheus Marley Machado, as a higher court in Guimarães prepares to rule on defence claims of judicial bias this Monday.

The attack took place in the early hours of 12 April 2024 near Bar Académico in Braga's university district, where Manu had relocated to study. It stemmed from an altercation inside the bar, when Manu challenged a member of Machado's group over suspicions of tampering with a girl's drink—possibly with a hallucinogenic substance. The confrontation spilled outside into a brawl involving more than 20 people, ending with Manu stabbed three times in vital areas: armpit, back, and arm. Witnesses described Machado striking again after Manu fell, then fleeing. He was arrested shortly afterwards and has remained in custody.

Prosecutors charge Machado with aggravated murder under articles 131 and 132 of the Portuguese Penal Code, plus illegal possession and use of a prohibited knife under Law 5/2006. Both the public prosecution and Manu's family, as private prosecutors, demand the maximum 25-year sentence, followed by deportation to Brazil. The family also seeks €750,000 in compensation for loss of life, with Manu's parents and sister recognised as indirect victims—though his parents' financial circumstances as a well-known trading couple in Pas de la Casa make recovery unlikely.

The trial opened on 26 January 2025 at Braga court and ran through four sessions until 4 March, but halted after the defence alleged bias. They claim the presiding judge made premature assessments, other magistrates showed partiality, and witnesses referred to Machado as "the killer" without rebuke. Machado, who gave conflicting accounts during the investigation—first denying involvement, then claiming self-defence—has stayed silent in court. The defence seeks to nullify evidence and restart proceedings.

Eyewitnesses, including three at the bar, identified Machado as the attacker, with some reporting he threatened Manu beforehand. Manu's friends confirmed he carried a knife that night due to earlier threats, though it remains unclear if he drew it first or if it matched the murder weapon. A fellow inmate and Machado associate, detained on separate charges at Porto prison, initially implicated him but later retracted, denying any knife memory—prompting perjury charges and suspicions of pressure.

Manu's family awaits Monday's decision, which could resume the trial or force a full retrial amid its repeated disruptions.