Four men were sentenced to between 10 and 24 years in prison for the murder of Samuel Luiz, a 24-year-old Brazilian caregiver, who was beaten to death in 2021 in A Coruña, Galicia, in the northwest of Spain. The defendants, found guilty last November, faced up to 27 years in prison. This homophobic crime, which occurred near a nightclub, sparked deep indignation and mobilized thousands of demonstrators across the country.
Wrongly accused of filming his attackers while he was making a video call, Samuel Luiz was violently attacked. Diego MM, the main instigator, shouted: “Stop filming or I’ll kill you, faggot”before hitting him, followed by three accomplices. The blows inflicted caused the young man’s death shortly after emergency services intervened.
The court imposed 24 years in prison on Diego MM, while Alejandro Freire and Kaio Amaral Silva received 20 and 20 and a half years. Alejandro Míguez, found to be an accomplice, was sentenced to 10 years. The accused will also have to pay 303,284 euros to the family of Samuel Luiz. Diego MM’s girlfriend was acquitted, the courts ruling that she had not participated in the violence.
The murder of Samuel Luiz sparked a wave of national indignation, with demonstrations to denounce homophobic violence and support the LGBTQ+ community. At the time, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called this act “wild and merciless”.
-The Alas Coruña collective, civil party in this trial, welcomed this verdict as a major step forward against hate crimes. “This is a turning point for LGBTQ+ rights in Spain”said Ana García Fernández, president of the association.
Thoughts and solidarity with the family of Samuel Luiz.
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