The Prosecutor’s Office filed a request from the eighth Investigating Court and sought an extension of preventive detention for three minors detained in connection with the Samuel Luiz case. Across from the seafront, near the Avenida de Buenos Aires, two days ago marked nearly two years since the fatal beating that led to Samuel Luiz’s death, an incident that began near the El Andén building in the early hours of July 2 into July 3, 2021.
The judge is tasked with deciding the status of these three youths who have remained incarcerated since July 9, 2021. In Spain, the maximum period an adult can be held in custody without trial is two years, a limit that can be extended if the investigating judge approves. Even after two years, authorities may seek renewed detention when circumstances warrant it.
This week, the three detainees appeared before the judge to determine whether they should stay in prison or be released pending trial, as requested by the prosecutor’s office. Journalistic sources indicate that, in similar cases, judges often extend the term, meaning the young defendants stay detained because the investigation has not yet concluded.
The investigation continues against five suspects who are of legal age. A woman who is the partner of one of the arrested individuals and another young man, who is the seventh detainee, are not in custody while their investigations proceed alongside the three detained individuals. Two of the youths were minors at the time of the incident and had reached a prior agreement with the parties involved in April of the previous year, before the hearing. They agreed to serve three and a half years for the murder of Samuel Luiz and for the shooting of Ibrahima and Magatte, two Senegalese men who tried to intervene and separate the attacker from Samuel Luiz.
The two youths, aged 16 and 17 at the time, also consented to compensate Samuel Luiz’s family financially. Although these two admitted to murder, the five older suspects still face formal charges to determine whether the case will be categorized as murder or manslaughter. One detainee faces additional accusations of stealing the victim’s mobile phone, a claim supported by findings showing the device was recovered nowhere after it reportedly surfaced during the confrontation; it was later disposed of by a member of the group according to testimony in the case.
Approximately a year ago, around mid-June 2022, authorities learned that several suspects had deleted their social media activity following the beating of Samuel Luiz. A rogatory letter was sent to the United States to request access to information from Meta, the owner of platforms including WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram. Investigators sought clues about the morning’s activities, including whether the suspects met more than once, whether they coordinated an alibi, and under what circumstances the events unfolded. A central unresolved issue for trial concerns whether the crime was motivated by homophobic animosity.
Samuel Luiz was dating a friend named Lina that night. Testimony indicates they were video chatting with another friend after leaving the El Andén bar when a man accompanying his girlfriend accused Samuel of filming her and called him a derogatory slur. That insult escalated into the brutal attack, evolving into a wider confrontation that dragged on for six minutes and covered a substantial stretch along a 150-foot area. Forensic evidence indicates Samuel endured blows to the entire body, including a bottle being used as a weapon.
The Asociación ALAS Coruña, along with the prosecution and the special prosecutor’s office, attended the hearing to determine whether the crime was homophobic. Although the individuals involved had gathered in the same bar before the assault, none of them knew each other prior to the events.