The defense of D.M.M., the young man who allegedly began the assault on Samuel Luiz — who died after a beating outside a nightlife venue on the A Coruña promenade in July 2021 after thinking he was being filmed — has stated that his client is remorseful and will express this in court.
It has also ruled out that Samuel’s sexual orientation was the motive. “Samuel was someone like anyone else who happened to be there”, he said, to emphasize that his client is remorseful.
“Absolutely”, he asserted when asked about it, adding that he would “manifest” it when he testifies about the facts and a outcome he described as “unfortunate.”
He voiced this to reporters upon arriving at the Provincial Court of A Coruña, where on Wednesday the jury will be selected to determine the guilt or innocence of the five defendants.
For Wednesday, the submission of reports and preliminary questions by the parties involved is scheduled: the Public Prosecutor’s Office; the private prosecution (Samuel’s family); the popular prosecution (the LGTBI group Alas Coruña) and the defenses.
First Statements
On the 17th, two of the defendants will testify in a trial expected to run until November 18, when the jury will receive the verdict form.
Of the defendants, the first to testify on the 17th will be A.M.R., for whom 22 years in prison are sought, and C.S.B., D.M.M.’s girlfriend at the time of the incident, for whom a 25-year sentence is requested.
On November 14, D.M.M., the alleged instigator, A.F.G. and K.A.S.C. will testify. The first faces a potential 25-year sentence, the second 22 years, and the third 27 years. In his case, his defense has confirmed on Tuesday that they will seek acquittal.
All, like the first two, are charged with murder with premeditation and cruelty, though in the cases of D.M.M. and C.S.B. there is also the aggravating factor of discrimination due to the victim’s sexual orientation. In the case of K.A.S.C., the penalty rises to 27 years for alleged robbery with violence connected to the victim’s motive.
The Facts
According to investigators, who documented homophobic insults toward Samuel, who died from multi-organ failure as a result of numerous blows, the events began shortly before three in the morning when the victim was on a video call with a friend outside a pub near the Riazor beach area.
At that moment, one of the defendants, D.M.M., approached him to confront him, thinking he was being recorded. The Prosecutor argues that “from Samuel’s words and gestures” he “interpreted” that he was homosexual, a fact that triggered an even more virulent reaction, culminating in him saying, “stop recording or I will kill you, faggot.”
All this while he continued to strike him with punches and kicks, and a subsequent chase began with the involvement, the Public Prosecutor says, of the other four defendants, plus two minors at the time of the events who had already been convicted, in their case, after a three-and-a-half-year internment agreement.
“Encircling him to ensure the attack”, the Public Prosecutor notes, pointing to a level of “extreme cruelty” with the aim of causing his death, in line with police investigations that confirmed a later gathering of the involved in a park before their arrest.