The Court of Loures sentenced the man who killed and dismembered his boyfriend in Cadaval to 24 years in prison. Luís Lopes was convicted of the crimes of qualified homicide and desecration of a corpse. “His conduct demonstrates coldness and disregard for human life, nothing justifies such barbaric and shocking acts,” said the judge, this Monday, when reading the sentence.
On April 27, 2023, while his partner was sleeping, Luís Lopes armed himself with a sledgehammer and struck Valdene at least three blows to the head, causing several injuries and cerebral hemorrhage and, consequently, his death. He then dismembered the body and placed the remains in plastic bags, which he transported in his vehicle in the early hours of the 28th, throwing them to different isolated locations.
One of the bags was found by locals on the evening of May 2, so the Judicial Police began investigating the case and discovering the remaining bags. Three days later, the PJ arrested the suspect, who, after being brought before the court, was held in preventive detention at the Lisbon Prison.
Initially, Luís Lopes admitted to the crimes and told the authorities where the remaining bags were, but during the trial he denied having killed his partner.
The murderer said in court that Valdene died of an overdose and that, in a panic, he decided to get rid of the body. However, this version was considered false by the court, since the autopsy revealed signs of sledgehammer blows and toxicology tests showed that there were no drugs in the victim’s body.
Source: www.cmjornal.pt
