After more than a month on the run, police were finally able to track down and arrest Manuel Baltazar – aka ‘Palito’ or ‘Monster of S. João da Pesqueira’ – the man who shot four members of his family, killing two outright.
‘Palito’ did not resist arrest when police caught up with him as he was trying to enter his house, carrying a shotgun – believed to be the murder weapon. National media reports suggest the fugitive was “very weak” and planning to gather supplies at his home, which was being monitored by the authorities.
Baltazar is now under police custody and is expected to be heard in the local court of S. João de Pesqueira at 2.30pm this afternoon (May 22).
The aggressor, a man with a history of domestic violence, had been pursuing his former partner since their divorce five years ago.
Manuel Pinto Baltazar had threatened to kill both his ex-wife and the relatives that protected her “numerous times”, said neighbours – and despite being fitted with an electronic bracelet wired to alert security forces if he violated a restraining order, he managed to take advantage of the time-delay involved before police arrived at the scene to carry out his massacre and make his escape on April 17.
His rampage ended up killing his mother-in-law and one of his ex-wife’s aunts, and critically-injuring his ex-wife and daughter.
During the time he was at large, ‘Palito’ is suspected to have laid low in the hills around the small town of Trevões.
