Lisbon Barbershop Massacre Trial Begins, Mental Illness Defence Tested

Residents of Lisbon still remember the morning when three lives were erased inside a modest barbershop in Penha de França. Fourteen months later, the man accused of that rampage now sits in the dock, his silence clashing with a courtroom clamouring for answers.

Courtroom Drama Unfolds

Behind the glass façade of the Campus de Justiça, Judge Maria de Lurdes Freitas opened the first session last Thursday with every seat taken, from grieving relatives to curious law students. The defendant, Fernando Silva, 33, stared at the floor while clerks read out a 17-page indictment that alleges three counts of qualified homicide, one count of attempted qualified homicide and possession of a prohibited firearm. When asked to confirm his identity, he murmured only his first name. Moments later a witness suffered an anxiety attack at the mere sight of him, prompting bailiffs to escort Silva to an adjoining room fitted with video link. The tension underlined how deeply the October 2024 shootings still reverberate.

A Shooting That Shook Penha de França

That autumn afternoon was supposed to be routine. Barber Carlos Pina locked the door of “Granda Pente” to grab lunch. According to prosecutors, Silva, upset at not being served immediately, drew a 7.65 mm pistol and fired. Pina died almost instantly. Outside, taxi driver Bruno Neto and his pregnant partner Fernanda Júlia heard the commotion and tried to flee, only to meet the same fate on the pavement. Investigators say a fourth employee, Fábio Ferreira, escaped by dropping behind a counter as a bullet whistled overhead. Neighbours set off emergency calls; within minutes the district’s tranquillity gave way to police tape and television crews. For residents of the Bairro do Vale, an enclave better known for inexpensive rents than violent crime, the episode became a grisly reference point: “antes” and “depois” of the barbershop massacre.

Mental Health or Calculated Act?

Silva had been diagnosed with schizophrenia at Hospital Júlio de Matos, yet a panel from the Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal concluded he could still distinguish right from wrong. That finding is crucial because Portugal’s Penal Code exempts perpetrators deemed incapable of understanding their actions, redirecting them to secure psychiatric units rather than prison. Prosecutor Leonor Ramos argued that Silva displayed a “cold, almost methodical” approach, even re-loading before pursuing Neto and Júlia. Defence lawyer Ricardo Moita insists his client’s behaviour was shaped by untreated psychosis and audible hallucinations, citing medical records that note frequent admissions, paranoia and reluctance to take medication. The court must now decide whether mental illness mitigates culpability or whether, as the prosecution suggests, the accused “exaggerated symptoms to dodge criminal responsibility.”

Families Face Lingering Trauma

Each testimony has reopened barely healed wounds. Ferreira told the panel he avoids public places, medicates for insomnia and once stood guard at his own doorway armed with a kitchen knife. Pina’s widow attends proceedings flanked by social workers, while Júlia’s mother waits to describe how she now raises two orphaned grandchildren. Community resentment even erupted in arson: hours after the killings, cars belonging to Silva’s relatives were set ablaze in the same street. Psychologists warn that secondary victimisation—reliving horror in court—can stall recovery, yet most relatives insist they must witness justice unfold.

The Law’s Harshest Bracket

Under article 132 of the Portuguese Penal Code, qualified homicide carries between 12 and 25 years. Multiple aggravating factors—use of a firearm, motive deemed fútil, and endangering an unborn child—push sentences toward the upper ceiling. Recent Supreme Court rulings have confirmed 25 years as a lawful maximum when several victims are involved, even before crimes are compounded with attempted murder or weapons charges. Should Silva be convicted on all counts, legal scholars anticipate a cumulative sentence close to that limit, though Portuguese courts must later perform cúmulo jurídico to establish a single final term.

What Happens Next

Proceedings resume on 20 November, when defence experts will dispute the state’s psychiatric report. Final arguments are expected in December, with a verdict early in 2026. Regardless of outcome, the case has revived debate over firearm access, waiting periods for mental-health evaluations, and the resources available to trauma survivors. For now, Lisbon watches a silent defendant and a crowded courtroom wrestle with where individual illness ends and collective responsibility begins.