Susana Gravato died at age 49
Susana Gravato was shot in the middle of a phone call: she shouted “ouch” and there was silence. Husband found councilwoman on the couch with head injuries and a bag of money at the scene. His 14-year-old son is the main suspect and was arrested.
The councilor of the Vagos City Council, from 49 yearswas found dead in her home, in Vagueira, with serious head injuries. The case, which is being investigated by the Judiciary Police (PJ) of Aveiro, is being seen as a murderadvanced .
The incident occurred around 3 p.m., shortly after Susana Gravatoa PSD activist for over 30 years, had lunch with her husband in a restaurant close to the couple’s residence, “Morgado”. The mayor, affected by headaches, returned home and spent some time with her 14-year-old son. Shortly afterwards, while speaking on the phone with a Chamber employee, he shouted “ouch”, and the call ended abruptly.
The employee Susana was speaking to, worried, tried to resume the call, but was unable to do so. He contacted Susana’s husband, who was a few meters away, in the drugstore he owns. Upon arriving home, the husband found his wife lying on the couch, covered in blood and with head injuries caused by a firearm that belongs to the minor’s father.
Immediately called to the scene, firefighters and the medical team from INEM Aveiro tried to revive the councilor, but she was already in cardiorespiratory arrest and ended up not resisting.
Sources close to the investigation indicate that the home’s video surveillance cameras recorded the son’s departure shortly before the crime. But then the cameras were turned off or covereda clear indication of criminal intent and concealment of the facts.
The Judiciary Police detained the teenage son due to “strong indications of the commission of a crime of qualified homicide”.
Inside the councilor’s house a bag of money was foundwhich could point to an attempted robbery that ended in murder, although no hypothesis has yet been ruled out by the Judiciary.
Susana Gravato was preparing to leave the municipal executive in the next few days, after two consecutive terms. She intended to return to law, a profession she practiced before being invited in 2017 by President Silvério Regalado to join the PSD team. In the municipality, he was responsible for the areas of General Administration, Environment, Protection and Animal Health, Justice, Social Cohesion and Adulthood.
Born in Ílhavo and resident in Vagos since she was six years old, according to , Susana Gravato was the mother of two children.
Faced with the tragedy, the Vagos City Council three days of municipal mourning, highlighting, in a note of regret, the dedication and commitment of Susana Gravato. “In this hour of pain, we address to her family, friends, colleagues and everyone who worked with her, our deepest condolences and our solidarity”, reads the municipality’s note. The municipality announced that the date of the funeral ceremonies will be announced later.
