Barcelona“He wanted fun, he took it with Samuel as he could with anyone, don’t look for an explanation.” In this way, the lawyer of the main accused of the homophobic crime in Samuel Luiz has tried to convince the jury to remove importance from the shouting beating of faggot who killed the young man on a beach in A Coruña on July 3, 2021, when the victim was 24 years old. The investigation and images of the assault indicate that seven people allegedly participated, including two teenagers who confessed before a juvenile judge who sentenced them to three and a half years in prison. This week it was the turn of the five adults, four men and one woman, in a trial at the Court of A Coruña that will last around a month. Faced with sentencing requests that range from 22 to 27 years in prison, the defendants have faced the beginning of the trial making the first moves to try to get a mitigation, even an exemption, to get acquittal or well a lower penalty.
The defense of Diego Montaña, the main defendant, will claim acquittal, arguing that he was drinking that day – he claims he is addicted – and was upset because he had argued with his girlfriend, who is also accused. Although he admits he was the one who initiated the assault, he will try to convince the jury that “his involvement stayed there”. “That he hit Samuel is despicable, but he did not hit him because he was homosexual, added Montaña’s lawyer, Luis Salgado, referring to the aggravating factor of hatred that the accusations have added to the crime of murder.
At least two other defendants will join the pleas for acquittal, arguing that they had taken alcohol or drugs that allegedly did not allow them to be aware of their actions. In this sense, the prosecutor Olga Serrano has asked that a forensic report on the capacities of the four accused men be added to the summary, an aspect that no one put on the table during the investigation of the crime. The prosecutor has described the assault that night as a “hunt” and has requested that the videos of the assault be used as evidence, which were initially rejected because they included non-expert assessments. The images have finally been accepted without further comment and will count as evidence.
“He chose the worst companies”
On the other hand, the fourth defendant – who allegedly also stole the victim’s mobile phone – has chosen to disassociate himself completely from the assault, and is demanding acquittal. “He chose the worst companies, he’s a pile of garbage and a coward, but he’s not a murderer,” his lawyer said.
For his part, the lawyer of the only accused woman has admitted that Luiz’s crime was “a disgrace, a hunt, a barbarity”, although he maintains that the young woman should not be accused. According to the defense, the girl had been going out with the main accused for just three months and it was the first night she went out with her group of friends: “her gang, if they’re not homosexuals, they’re transsexuals,” said the ‘lawyer with the intention of rebutting the aggravation of hatred.
