The Loures court has sentenced a man who killed and dismembered his boyfriend in Cadaval to 24 years in prison. Luis Lopez was found guilty of aggravated murder and desecration of a corpse. “The behavior shows coldness and disregard for human life, nothing justifies such barbaric and shocking acts,” the judge said Monday when he announced the sentence.
On April 27, 2023, while his partner was sleeping, Luis Lopez armed himself with a sledgehammer and struck Waldena at least three times in the head, causing multiple injuries and a cerebral hemorrhage, leading to his death. He then dismembered the body and placed the remains in plastic bags, which he transported in his car early on the morning of the 28th, scattering them in various isolated locations.
One of the bags was found by members of the public on the night of May 2, so the judicial police began investigating the case and found the remaining bags. Three days later, the SP arrested the suspect, who, after being brought to court, awaited trial in preventive detention in Lisbon prison.
Luis Lopez initially confessed to the crimes and told authorities where the remaining bags were, but during the trial he denied killing his comrade.
The killer told the court that Waldene had died of an overdose and that he had panicked and decided to dispose of the body. However, the court found this version to be false, as the autopsy revealed evidence of sledgehammer blows and toxicology tests showed that there were no drugs in the victim’s body.