New clue rekindles the case of the “Lisbon Ripper” 30 years later (SIC spoke to the suspect)

More than three decades later, the case of the so-called “Lisbon Ripper” once again gained new contours, with the emergence of a clue that led the Judiciary Police to reopen investigations.

In a report on the SIC Police Cases program, several participants linked to the case were interviewed, including a woman who claims to know the man identified in a robot portrait. The station also spoke to a survivor of an attack that occurred in 1992, who claims to recognize the suspect as the attacker who stabbed and beat her.

The victim, who requested anonymity, remembers the episode she experienced at the age of 15, when she was approached in Restelo by a man driving a white car. After entering the vehicle, she was taken to an isolated area, where she ended up violently attacked. He survived and managed to escape, but he never forgot his attacker’s face.

Another witness, identified as “Ana”, claims to have lived with the suspect for years and says he has no doubts about his identity. According to reports, he recognized it after seeing the robot portrait on television and even sent, in 2021, a detailed email to the Judiciary Police with relevant information. However, he guarantees that he never received a response.

SIC also managed to contact the man named as a suspect, who rejected any involvement, classifying the accusations as “ridiculous”.

The crimes attributed to the Lisbon Ripper date back to 1992, when, over the course of several months, five women were murdered with extreme violence. The victims had situations of prostitution and drug addiction in common. Three of the homicides were clearly associated with the same perpetrator, while the others remain shrouded in doubt.

At the time, the limitations of forensic techniques made the investigation difficult, which did not even include DNA analysis. Despite the new testimonies, the case faces an inescapable legal obstacle: the crimes have already expired, which prevents any formal accusation, even if the suspect were to confess.