Young man who killed “Manu” near an academic bar in Braga is sentenced to 21 years in prison

The suspect in the murder of “Manu”, near an Academic Bar, in Braga, was sentenced this Wednesday to 21 years and six months in prison. He will also have to pay compensation of almost R$227,000 to the victim’s parents.

The accused, Mateus Marley Machadoborn in Brazil, was convicted of the crimes of qualified homicide and possession of a prohibited weapon. THE Braga Court also imposed the additional penalty of expulsion from Portugal after serving the sentence.

According to the ruling, the defendant “acted and reacted in an excessive and inappropriate way“. He also mentions that “the victim’s parents and sister live marked by a pain that time has not yet managed to alleviate. They live in a state of mourning and disorientation.”

According to , the Public Ministry considered it proven that the accused, aged 27, was the author of the murder that occurred during a “struggle” in the early hours of April 12, 2025, which resulted in the death of Manuel Gonçalves, better known as “Manu“, 19 years old.

“Society must realize that these situations cannot go unpunished. The defendant must be convicted of the crimes accused of him, in a proportionate and appropriate penaltytaking into account the defendant’s youth”, stated the prosecutor, without quantifying the penalty to be applied by the group of judges.

The accused’s initial statements, the statements claiming self-defense, the conversations he had with his girlfriend, in which he explained the strategy to be adopted in the appeal, as well as the evidence and traces found near the bar, including his DNA on a bottle and a rock, prove that he was at the scene and committed the crime.

The events began at 1:18 am, in one of the indoor spaces of the Academic Bar of the University of Minho.

The student was allegedly attacked after reporting a group allegedly adulterate drinks of girls with drugs — although this version has not been officially confirmed by the PJ or the PSP. Later, on the public street, in front of the bar, a fight broke out that involved physical confrontations.

The accused had lived in Portugal since August 2023 and lived in the Greater Porto region. Before the murder, he had already been the target of a PJ do Porto.