The family of Marco “Orellas”, accused of the murder of Igor Silva, ensured this Thursday that the accused did not come to the Dragao stadium with the aim of attacking the young man. The eighth session of the trial, held at the São João Novo court in Porto, was marked by an emotional speech by Sonia Gonçalves, sister of “Orelhas”, which touched on old conflicts that existed between family members and Igor Silva. and about the day of the crime.
Sister “Ears” cried in court
Sister Ears cried in court as she recalled the events. He accused Paulo Cardoso, a married man also accused in the case, of cowardice for not intervening sooner to end the tension that existed between the family and the victim.
“I am here to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. This is not just a lie. Forgive me, Paulo, but I must tell the truth. Many things could have been avoided if you weren’t such a coward. “, he explained.
Sonia Gonsalves assured that her husband and brother came to the stadium not to attack Igor, but because they were worried about their family. Paulo Cardoso was told that his wife and son were attacked, but Sonia explained that this was not true.
Eyewitnesses claim that Igor started the clashes
On the day of the crime, Orelhas’ sister said she tried to talk to the victim to steer him away from confrontation. “I said, ‘Listen to me for our friendship.’ He didn’t want to talk to me and told me: “I want your brother, I’ll kill him.” Then PSP showed up and we left,” he said.
Sonya assured that she did not witness the crime. “I always stayed away from them and only later I saw my brother with a bleeding hand. He told me that he had been stabbed to death,” Sonya said.
“Only God knows what I went through during these two years, I was threatened. I am alone. He [Paulo] he saw Igor on the ground, went to help him, and now he was arrested,” he noted.
Tanya Marlene, daughter-in-law of Marco “Orellas”, was also interviewed this Thursday. He said he went to an FC Porto party and at first there were only women there. Later Renato and friends arrived.
Marko’s daughter-in-law said that Igor “was very angry because they said that they threw stones at his mother’s window.”
Witness claims the three accused were not at the crime scene
Christiana Silva is a friend and neighbor of the three free defendants: Sergio Machado, Rui Costa, “Dentinho”, and Miguel Pereira, “Banana”. She was called as a witness for the defense because she was near the Super Bock tent where she saw Igor arguing with Renato’s family.
Christiana said she did not understand the content of the conversation and that police then ordered people to leave the area. As he left, he said that he noticed a large apparatus, but since “the confusion was great,” he did not approach it. She assured that she was chatting with friends and that Sergio, Rui and Miguel were also nearby.
The woman explained that Sergio and the group were advised to leave, but the police approached them anyway, not understanding the reason. Thus, this witness releases the three accused outside the crime scene.
“I had nothing to do with it, I was very nervous. I was not involved in previous situations,” Sergio began. “We went down to the museum, and at some point I saw Renato and his uncle running up. Someone told me they were coming back to the party,” he says. He admits that he also ran up the stairs, but cannot explain why. At some point, the group began to disperse, but Sergio claims he does not know why. “It was Christiane (a friend) who told me at some point that there was a mix-up,” he says. Sergio explains that he did not see or participate in the crime. He says the only thing he noticed was a bunch of women.
“The next day I got up at six in the morning, and in the WhatsApp group there were already photographs of Igor’s body and a video of the beatings. Then the news appeared on CMTV. I didn’t see anything, but I would like to see it so I could come here and say. He has been accused of murder for two years now,” he says in court.
“I don’t want to pay for something I didn’t do”: Rui Costa assures that he is innocent
Rui Costa assured that he did not participate in the crime and did not see anything. “I am innocent and I am being accused. I’m tired of these accusations and I’m still here,” he said.
“I don’t want to pay for something I didn’t do, whoever did it should be held accountable. I didn’t see anything related to the crime. I was always more than 50 meters away from the place where this happened,” he ruled.
Miguel Pereira knew about the conflict between Igor and the Orellas family
Miguel Pereira, another of the free defendants, said in court that he knew of long-standing problems between Igor and the Orellas family. On the day of the FC Porto celebration, I was with Renato near the Super Bok tent when he saw Igor talking to Sonia and then the police arrived.
Realizing that there might be confusion, Miguel Pereira decided to leave the area. “He was Renato’s friend and knew he could do this for us,” he explained.
“Ears” said they saw the victim with two knives
Marco “Orellas” also had the opportunity to make a statement and clarify the images showing the clashes at the Dragao stadium. Marco stated that upon arriving at the scene, he went to the woman to understand what was happening. During the disrespect, he also said that he saw Igor with two knives.
The daughter of “Ears” does not miss the trial
Yara Gonsalves failed to appear in court and, according to the prosecutor, the acquittal is invalid, meaning she should be sentenced to a fine. The judge gave the defendant 10 days to submit another justification.
Igor Silva was attacked and stabbed 18 times during clashes outside the Dragao stadium during celebrations for the 2021/22 league season. There are 12 defendants on trial and four are in prison.
In court, as at recent court hearings, police reinforcement was established.
Author: Ana Silva Monteiro This Ana Isabel Fonseca
Source: CM Jornal
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