A MAN has been accused of attacking his wife with an axe and leaving her to die on a road in Cerro do Roque, Paderne, at the weekend.
The body of the woman was found by the GNR just after midnight on Sunday after they were contacted by a local resident.
It was reported that the accused, Alfredo Tavares, aged 45, from Cape Verdi, attempted to commit suicide on Sunday evening by throwing himself under a car on the A22, three kilometres from the Estoi exit in the direction of Vila Real de Santo António.
The attempt failed and he is said to be in a critical condition in the intensive care unit at Faro Hospital.
Tavares is alleged to have called his parents-in-law on Sunday afternoon, who live in Setúbal, telling them: “I’m going to kill my wife because she is cheating on me with another.” In a second trelephone call, he apparently told them that he had already carried out his threat.
Tavares lived with Ermelinda dos Santos in Três Marias, Estrada dos Olhos d’Água, close to Albufeira.
Ermelinda worked as a cleaner at the Hotel Paraíso in Albufeira and a colleague there, Svetlana Galateanu, has told the press that the couple had been separated for some time, but had remained living together for financial reasons.
Alfredo Tavares and Ermelinda dos Santos have a seven-year-old son, who is currently being cared for by his grandparents in Setúbal.
Ermelinda’s body was found only half clothed and the GNR reported that she had suffered horrific head wounds.
An axe, believed to be the murder weapon, has been recovered by police and the results of an autopsy are awaited.
Following the initial phone call they received from their son-in-law, Ermelinda’s parents phoned Albufeira GNR and officers were sent immediately to the couple’s home.
No-one was at home, but the officers noticed that the victim’s handbag had been left in the house. The GNR alerted all units, with the aim of tracking down the suspect’s car, but it was a passer-by who found the body of the victim.
An INEM ambulance was called to the scene, a dimly lit road that was barely used, but the paramedics could only confirm that the woman was already dead.
Faro Polícia Judiciara is currently dealing with the case and security measures have been taken at Faro hospital where the suspect is receiving treatment.
The police are currently waiting for updates from medical staff as to the condition of the accused, currently in a coma.
Alfredo Tavares suffered several broken bones and a punctured lung, among other injuries.
