Judge highlights duty to protect victim’s dignity
The mystery of a missing pregnant woman, presumed killed by the father of her unborn child, is to be decided “behind closed doors”, next month – for reasons involving the protection of the victim’s dignity.
The news is attributed to “a judicial source”, in a report today confirming that the murder trial has been scheduled for Aveiro Court on May 19.
This is a story that goes back to October 3, 2023 when mother-of-two Mónica Silva, heavily pregnant with her third child, disappeared without trace after leaving her young children at home in Murtosa while she went, ostensibly, to have a coffee with a friend.
As so many reports have since explained, that friend appears to have been the father of her unborn child, Fernando Valente, who “always tried to keep secret” his association with Mónica Silva.
Valente was eventually arrested in November, 2023, on suspicion of having murdered Ms Silva in his home in Torreira (not far from Murtosa).
At no point has a body been found – nor does Valente appear even to have acknowledged the police theory over what happened.
He was formally charged with Mónica Silva’s murder, the desecration of her corpse, the forced abortion of a child and other offences in November, 2024.
Public prosecutors cite evidence that “during the early hours of October 4 and in the following days, the defendant disposed of the victim’s body, taking it to an unknown location, as well as all her belongings and a rug from the flat’s living room, and carried out deep cleaning operations inside his apartment, and in the communal areas”.
According to the indictment, Valente also accessed the victim’s mobile phone and, posing as her, sent two messages over social media to a third party.
The case against Valente is based on the understanding that he did not want Mónica Silva to benefit in any way from his (family’s) wealth/ property, and that this is why he decided to kill her.
In an order issued yesterday, the presiding judge has justified the decision to hear the trial behind closed doors on the grounds that “it will involve knowledge of the intimate relationships of the identified victim with third parties”. As such, there is a duty to protect her personal dignity “in relation to the other parties involved”, namely her two children.
The judge also points out that it is also necessary to ensure that the evidence is produced “without constraints and solely with the aim of ascertaining the truth of the facts, protecting witnesses from public and media discussion, in order to guarantee the spontaneity of testimony.
In the communiqué, the presiding judge of Aveiro District Court assures that information notes “will be issued regularly on the course of the various court sessions, with the information that the court feels is justified”.
Meanwhile, the court has also scheduled evidence to be produced at the hearing, with the first session, on May 19, scheduled to include the questioning of the defendant, the reproduction of statements he made during the first judicial interrogation, the assistant’s statements and the reproduction of statements made in the case file for future reference.
Witnesses named in the indictment are scheduled to be heard on May 20, 21 and 22 followed on May 23 by the production of any evidence that could not be secured on the previous days.
The hearing of witnesses indicated by the defence should take place on May 26 and 27.
At the request of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the trial of Fernando Valente will be held by a jury, made up of three professional judges and eight jurors.
The selection process for jurors is scheduled for next week, April 24 April. ND
Source material: LUSA
