The Provincial Court of Madrid begins the trial this Monday for the fatal hit-and-run that left four dead and nine seriously injured on November 6, 2022, during a wedding celebration in Torrejón de Ardoz.
The Public Prosecutor’s representative is seeking a sentence of 226 years in prison for four counts of murder (25 years for each) and nine counts of attempted murder (14 years for each).
The indictment states that in the early hours of November 6, 2022, M.D.M., known as ‘El Portugués’, attended a wedding at the ‘El Rancho’ restaurant in Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid) with two of his minor children and two nephews.
El Portugués sits in the dock accused of fatally running over 4 guests at a wedding in Torrejón
During the celebration, one of the minors was involved in an incident with some of the guests, prompting the accused to be asked to leave with the people accompanying him.
It was then that M.D.M. confronted several of those present, until once outside the establishment, he went with his children and nephews to his vehicle parked nearby.
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After getting behind the wheel, he revved the engine «knowing that people were gathered there because of the events and with the full intent to cause their death or assuming the possibility of it happening,» he ran over several of them, causing the death of four people.
The accused’s vehicle, who has been in custody since November 6, 2022, had no liability insurance on that date.
Four accusations request life imprisonment with possibility of parole
Four of the five private accusations involved in the case request life imprisonment with possibility of parole for El Portugués, while another – representing an injured party – requests 14 years for attempted murder.
On the other hand, the defense argues that what happened constitutes four counts of reckless homicide and nine injuries due to recklessness.
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They claim complete acquittal for their client, considering the presence of insurmountable fear or state of necessity (when it is necessary to prevent a greater and imminent harm).
Micael Da Silva, alias ‘El Portugués’, alleges an exemption of insurmountable fear to avoid criminal responsibility, maintaining that the people he struck at shot at him, an assertion for which there is no corroborating evidence.
