A 76-year-old man was found shot dead in his home in Messines by two of his friends recently. A spokesman for Messines GNR initially stated that the victim, Francisco Martins Rodrigues, a widowed father of two who lived alone, had no enemies and that there was no obvious motive for his murder.
However, after further investigation, the victim’s neighbours revealed that, on the day of the murder, 26-year-old Jorge, one of the friends who would later alert the authorities about the murder, was seen arriving at the victim’s house very early in the morning. “It was strange because Francisco usually goes out at night and doesn’t get up until late afternoon,” one of the neighbours explained.
A couple of hours later, Jorge was seen returning to the house, this time with a neighbour, 66-year-old Serafim. “As soon as we entered, Jorge said that Francisco was dead. How did he know he was dead if he hadn’t seen him? I was the one who discovered his body on the bed, covered with a white sheet with a hole in the head by his left eye,” Serafim said, adding, “he was the one who called the GNR.”
After two days of investigation, a Portimão Polícia Judiciária spokesman confirmed that officers had arrested Jorge, together with another man, in connection of the murder. He revealed that Jorge and his partner had admitted they had planned to steal the victim’s pension money – 200 euros – which he had received a day before the murder.
He also revealed that officers believed that Francisco Rodrigues wasn’t Jorge’s first victim. After officers had reviewed evidence from a murder case which happened in Messines during the year 2000, they had concluded that Jorge had killed another man. The victim was Francisco’s son-in-law – 60-year-old Anastácio Guerreiro – who was also Jorge’s ‘close friend’. “Jorge was my grandfather and father’s best friend,” Anastácio’s son said. “They were so close. If Jorge is found guilty, it means that he pretended to be friendly in order to lure two of my family members to their death.” Although residents of Messines were shocked by the murders, there was little surprise that Jorge was connected to them. “He doesn’t have a job and he was always in local bars enjoying lunch, beers and so on. Where did he get the money from?” said one resident. Both suspects are currently in preventative prison awaiting trial.
