Yzabelle Bostyn
THE CONVICTION of four men over the homophobic murder of 24-year-old Samuel Luiz has sparked outrage across Spain.
This Sunday, four men were convicted in connection with the homophobic murder of 24-year-old Samuel Luiz.
The nursing assistant died in July 2021 after being assaulted outside a nightclub in A Coruna, Galicia.
Diego Montaña, Alejandro Freire and Kaio Amaral were found guilty of aggravated murder while Alejandro Migues was found to be complicit in the crime.
The jury agreed that the group’s leader Montaña assumed Luiz was gay from his voice and clothing.
Luiz was attacked after stepping outside of the club along Playa de Riazor, A Coruna.
He was video calling a friend and some bystanders thought he was filming them.
They proceeded to shout homophobic slurs at him and demand he stop filming, saying: “You’ll either stop filming or i’ll kill you f**got.”
Luiz replied “F**got why?” before the accused launched their vicious attack, with Montaña grabbing Luiz by the neck while Freire and Amaral punched and kicked the victim in the head and neck.
Many bystanders attempted to break up the altercation but were held back by Miguez.
The attack moved through four different locations and Luiz’s phone was also stolen.
Afterwards, the court heard that he made anti-gay comments to the other accused, with whom he met twice on the day of the incident to discuss what happened.
“Today, four attackers have been sentenced for the murder of Samuel Luiz,” former equality minister Irene Montero said on X.
“Let’s not look the other way: LGTBIphobia that kills begins with comments or ‘jokes’ that are hateful, harmful and must be stopped.”
The trial lasted nearly four weeks and it took the jury an unprecedented five days to decide on a verdict.
Although the prosecution has asked for jail terms of between 22-27 years, sentencing will take place later.
In Spain, 364 hate crimes against the LGBTQIA+ community were recorded in 2023, leading to 184 arrests.
However, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights states that only a fraction of hate crimes are reported.
