Suspect in fatal Chavez hit-and-run denies seeing victim

The man suspected of fatally hitting a seventy-year-old man in Chaves, this Wednesday, at the start of the trial in Vila Real, denied seeing the victim on the side of the road, saying that he only felt a shock but did not stop.

The defendant is accused by the Office of the Public Prosecutor (MP) of committing the crime of qualified murder, acting, according to the indictment, with “the intention of taking revenge on the victim for initiating a lawsuit against him in which two tractors were seized” from the suspect.

At the beginning of the trial in the Vila Real court, the 68-year-old man told the panel of judges that he did not see anyone, that he only felt a jolt on the right side of the car, but did not stop. automobile.

The case occurred on January 6, 2024, and, according to the indictment, the defendant “while driving a vehicle and seeing the victim dismounting next to another vehicle, caused the vehicle to collide with the victim’s vehicle.” body”.

After the collision, the suspect “continued to march, pinning the victim between two vehicles, throwing him approximately three meters,” and then “accelerated the vehicle he was driving and fled.”

The defendant, who admitted that he had hearing problems, repeated several times that he did not see anyone, that he felt shock, but claimed that he thought he had hit a garbage can on the side of the road.

He also noted that, having stopped the car, he went to work without checking whether there was any damage to the car.

He said he heard about the accident from a neighbor and that after talking to PSP he said he didn’t know anything and sold the car to a scrap dealer a day or two later.

During the trial, the chairman of the panel pointed out to the suspect some inconsistencies in his testimony, for example, that he said that the car had already been scrapped, but a few days ago it went with him to the workshop.

On the day of the alleged crime, CCTV images showed the accused’s car crossing the road with the victim’s car in the Villars-de-Nantes area and the suspect making a 180-degree turn.

The defendant claimed he turned back because he realized he did not have a card to buy diesel and that the day was foggy, although the charge states it was a day with good visibility.

According to the prosecution, the collision occurred after a U-turn.

The deputy said that as a result of the collision, “the victim suffered serious injuries to several parts of the body, in particular the pelvic area, which were the direct cause of death.”

The victim was 78 years old and died in hospital.

According to the prosecution, the case will relate to a lawsuit brought by the victim against the defendant in 1996 for payment of a debt, as a result of which two tractors were seized from the defendant in 1997.

According to the deputy, this case ended in December 1997 with the defendant paying the amount due and issuing an order to seize the above-mentioned tractors.

Asked this Wednesday about the dispute, the accused said he never saw the victim again, never even crossed paths with her and that they never had any problems with each other again.

The accused is in custody. Following the collision, Chavez’s PSP took responsibility for the incident and the investigation was then transferred to the Vila Real PJ Criminal Investigation Department.