A Spanish court on Wednesday sentenced four men to jail terms of between 10 to 24 years for beating to death a young gay man, in a case that sparked nationwide protests.
Samuel Luiz, a 24-year-old nursing assistant who was born in Brazil, died in hospital after being kicked and punched by a group of people outside a nightclub in A Coruña in the northwestern Galicia region in July 2021. ALSO READ: Four convicted in Galicia over roles in July 2021 homophobic murder.
His friends said the attackers targeted Luiz, who was on a video call with a friend at the time, because they mistakenly believed he was trying to record them.
The assailants used a derogatory word for homosexuals during the attack, according to Luiz’s friends.
Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called it a ‘savage and ruthless’ act, and large ‘Justice for Samuel’ protests (main image) were held in Madrid and other cities after the authorities initially appeared reluctant to consider the murder a hate crime. ALSO READ: Police have now arrested six over suspected homophobic killing in Galicia.
A jury in November found the four men guilty of Luiz’s murder after a high-profile trial in A Coruña, and said it was proven that the main accused — identified only as Diego M.M. — had concluded that Luiz was gay from his speech and clothing and shouted homophobic insults at him during the attack.
The court said it handed Diego M.M. the longest jail term of 24 years ‘for the aggravating circumstance of discrimination based on sexual orientation’, adding that he displayed ‘an absolute lack of empathy and a cruelty that deserves a higher criminal reproach’.
Two other men who took part in the beating — Alejandro F.G. and Kaio A.S.C. — were sentenced to 20 years and 20.5 years in prison respectively, while a fourth — Alejandro M.R. — received a sentence of 10 years as an accomplice. While he did not beat Luiz, the court said he prevented him from fleeing and stopped other people from helping him.
The court said the men left their victim ‘lying in the middle of a roundabout, unconscious and with a bloody face’.
The sentence, which can be appealed, also orders the four men to compensate Luiz’s family with some €303,000.
La Audiencia de A Coruña condena a penas de entre 10 y 24 años de cárcel a los culpables de asesinar a Samuel Luiz#Canal24horashttps://t.co/e9aOexyrnq pic.twitter.com/1xiUEr7hx5
— RTVE Noticias (@rtvenoticias) January 8, 2025
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