In yet another horrific case of domestic violence, the body of a 51-year-old woman was found shot in the head in Rólia, Mafra yesterday (July 29) after allegedly having gone to collect her clothes from her estranged boyfriend’s home.
The 48-year-old man was found shot dead beside her.
The gruesome scene came to light on Wednesday morning, the day after Ana Alves travelled from her home in Cascais to that of her former lover, stonemason José Afonso.
From what authorities can piece together, the couple must have lain dead for hours.
Afonso’s nephew Nélson Reis was the one to raise the alarm after he saw Ana Alves’ car in the drive with the keys to the house in the door, and the door open.
Reis is understood to have called inside “but no one answered”.
Malveira GNR were called to the scene, and “found the bodies in the living room”.
Described by his nephew as “normal and docile”, neighbours gave slightly different accounts to gathering reporters, saying Afonso was not violent but he was “nervous”.
Lately he had been “more calm”, friend Carmina Caetano explained, adding that her friend had “tried committing suicide before” but nothing had led people to suspect a “disgrace” such as this could be possible.
As the nation’s newspapers cover what is the 21st killing of a wife/live-in female partner or girlfriend since January, most were saying there had been no sign at all that the couple was not getting on.
The pair had apparently “had a fight about a month ago” but “quickly made up”.
However, neighbours also alluded to the fact that Afonso may have been a womanizer.
He had a number of previous relationships and had been seen more recently in the company of another woman, claims national tabloid Correio da Manhã.
As PJ investigations are still ongoing, Afonso’s traumatized nephew described his uncle’s victim, the manager of a chain of supermarkets, as a “five star woman” about whom no-one could say a bad word.
