Portuguese justice has condemned a 21 and a half years in prison the man found guilty of the murder of Manuel Gonçalves, known as Manu, the 19-year-old Andorran who was stabbed to death in Braga in April 2025.
The sentence puts an end to one of the cases that generated more commotion both in the Portuguese city and in Andorra. The court has considered proved that the accused was the author of the three fatal stabbings which caused the death of the young man outside the Academic Bar of the University of Minho, after an argument that had started inside the premises.
According to the investigation and indictment of the Portuguese Public Ministrythe events unfolded when Manu reprimanded a member of the defendant’s group who allegedly tampered with a young woman’s drink. The tension continued outside the establishment and resulted in a fight during which the young Andorran he received three fatal stab wounds. The authorities maintained throughout the process that the victim was unarmed at the time of the assault.
During the trial, the defense tried support the thesis of legitimate defense and, in the alternative, claimed a conviction for a less serious offence. The Public Ministry, instead, he argued that he had stayed fully accredited the authorship of the acts and demanded a penalty proportional to the gravity of the crime, highlighting the violence of the assault.
The death of Manu led to a strong wave of consternation among relatives, friends and acquaintances, both in Braga and the Principality. The case had a great media impact in Portugal and generated numerous displays of support to the young man’s family.
With the sentence made public this Wednesday, the judicial procedure enters its final stretch, although the sentence can still be appealed before higher courts of Portuguese justice.
