Lisbon’s Penha de França Barbershop Shooter Gets Maximum 25-Year Sentence

In a ruling that many residents of Lisbon's eastern hills had anticipated with mixed feelings, the Lisbon Central Criminal Court handed down the country's maximum 25-year prison sentence to Fernando Silva for the triple homicide inside the Granda Pente barbershop in Penha de França. The panel of judges rejected the defence’s psychiatric arguments and underscored the killer’s cold-blooded intent, closing a chapter that has weighed heavily on local community trauma, yet leaving the door open for a pending appeal.By opting for the full legal ceiling foreseen in the Portuguese Penal Code, the court sent a clear signal about how it intends to treat lethal violence sparked by what prosecutors described as a “motivo fútil” — an argument that resonated in neighbourhood cafés long before it resounded in the courtroom.

Snapshot in numbers

• 3 lives lost: barber Carlos Pina, pregnant mining technician Fernanda Júlia da Silva, and her husband Bruno Neto.

• 1 failed shot: a shop employee escaped unharmed, yet the attempt added a count of attempted homicide.

• 19 years per murder, 9 years for the attempt, 2.5 years for illegal gun ownership — merged into the statutory cúmulo jurídico of 25 years.

• €410,000 in civil damages to the victims’ children and the surviving employee.

• Defence led by attorney Fábio Palhas vows to take the case to the Court of Appeal.

• Ruling read out on 28 January 2026, roughly 16 months after the shooting on 2 October 2024.

What unfolded on 2 October 2024

In the late afternoon of 2 October 2024, witnesses recall Fernando Silva walking into the modest Granda Pente barbershop on Rua da Penha de França and demanding an immediate haircut. When the staff explained that two customers were ahead of him, the 39-year-old pulled a 9 mm pistol from his backpack and fired multiple rounds. The barber, a pregnant customer and her husband fell within seconds; a fourth employee ducked behind a mirror and survived. Surveillance footage, later shown to jurors, captured the calm posture of the gunman as he stepped over bodies before fleeing toward Praça Paiva Couceiro, setting off a manhunt that lasted less than 48 hours.

From arrest to courtroom drama

Police captured Silva in Évora two days later, acting on a tip-off about a suspicious motel guest. During preliminary questioning the suspect gave contradictory statements, alternating between claims of amnesia and accusations that the victims had “provoked” him. A year-long investigation gathered ballistic evidence, phone records and nearly two dozen witness depositions, ultimately leading prosecutors to present charges of homicide qualified by futility.The trial, which opened last September in a packed Room 1 of the court house, featured testimony from a toxicology expert who linked the defendant’s erratic behaviour to cocaine withdrawal, rebutting the defence’s thesis of schizophrenia. Proceedings were halted twice after outbursts from Silva’s entourage, prompting the presiding judge to order extra court guards.

Why the judges chose the maximum

Reading a 128-page verdict, presiding magistrate Ana Ramalho stressed that the defendant acted with “total indifference for human life.” The panel highlighted five aggravating factors: premeditation, use of a prohibited firearm, multiple victims, public endangerment and the trivial motive of impatience over a haircut. Portuguese law obliges judges to perform a mathematical aggregation of sentences — the so-called cúmulo jurídico — but also allows them to stop at 25 years when the sum exceeds that threshold. In Silva’s case, the arithmetic reached 68 years, compelling the court to cap it at the statutory maximum while noting his high risk of reoffending and “absolute absence of empathy.”

Defence lines of appeal

Moments after the ruling, defence lawyer Fábio Palhas criticised what he called a mechanical application of the law and confirmed that an appeal will be lodged within 30 days. He argues that Silva suffers from chronic psychosis, supported by psychiatric records dating back to 2019, and therefore should have been sentenced to compulsory treatment rather than a conventional prison term. Palhas also faults the state for alleged failures in mental-health follow-up, pointing to repeated requests by Silva’s mother for in-patient care that were never answered.

Ripples through Penha de França

Outside the courthouse, friends of the victims hugged under grey skies, stating that the verdict offers “relative peace but not closure.” Local businesses in Penha de França have since installed surveillance cameras, and the parish council is working with PSP community policing units to organise self-defence workshops, responding to what residents describe as a surge in perceived insecurity. A memorial mural featuring the names Carlos, Fernanda and Bruno now covers the shutter of the former barbershop, where candles still burn on weekends.

The 25-year debate in Portuguese law

Portugal abolished life sentences in 1884 and retains a 25-year cap even for the most horrific crimes. Critics say the limit can short-change victims’ families, while supporters argue it keeps the system in line with European human-rights standards. According to data from the Director-General of Reinsertion and Prison Services, only 14 inmates are currently serving the full maximum, making Silva part of a small but controversial cohort.Under article 79 of the Portuguese Penal Code, prisoners who exhibit genuine rehabilitation may be eligible for conditional release after serving two-thirds of their term. That means Silva could, in theory, request parole in 2042, a prospect that already unsettles some relatives of the deceased.

What happens next?

The Lisbon Court of Appeal is expected to review the case by late spring 2026. If the three-judge panel upholds the verdict, the defence could take the matter to the Supreme Court of Justice, and ultimately to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, though experts note that Strasbourg rarely overturns Portuguese criminal sentences when national courts have weighed mental-health evidence. Meanwhile, prosecutors are considering whether to pursue asset seizure to guarantee payment of the civil damages.

Staying safe and informed

And while the tragedy has put courtroom procedures under the spotlight, residents say it also highlights everyday precautions. The PSP recommends that small businesses install panic buttons, keep visible signage about waiting procedures, and establish neighbourhood watch channels through the Lisbon Safe Communities app. Municipal staff will hold a public forum at the Junta de Freguesia next month to discuss additional urban-security grants for storefronts.