Forty years and two months behind bars is the sentence handed down by the Fifth Division of the Pontevedra District Court in Vigo. It assigns twenty-one years for killing his sister Genoveva, eighteen years for killing his niece Noelia, and one year and two months for illegal weapons possession. The ruling names Sotomayor’s neighbor, Miguel Gil Rodriguez, as the person convicted of shooting and killing two relatives. The events unfolded in the hut near the mountain where this man resided, on August 21, 2020. The presiding judge explained that the suspect moved toward the victims, who were on the stairs in the open area of the home, after obtaining the firearm, and fired at close range with the intent to end their lives, leaving little room for defense.
unanimous decision
The verdict followed a unanimous and resounding guilty finding by the Jury Tribunal, reached in what was described as one of the quickest deliberations in Vigo courts, taking only five hours. The popular jury ruled that Miguel Gil acted with treachery. There was no legitimate defense, and the defense’s attempt to rely on confession as an extenuating factor was rejected by the majority. The prosecution argued that if a confession occurred, it was not because of free choice but because the evidence against him was overwhelming. The jurors concluded that the accused’s actions were premeditated and deliberate.
lethal shots
The judge highlighted aggravating circumstances tied to kinship in the sister’s case, noting that family ties heighten the severity of the crimes. Each shot was delivered with precision, striking the chest area of both victims. One of the deceased also suffered a gunshot wound, a detail that supports the finding of an intent to annihilate the victims swiftly. The combination of surprise and the accused’s use of a pistol at close range underscores the calculated nature of the attack.
despair
The Vigo Court clarified that the defense’s attempt to dismiss the accusations during the trial did not alter the reality on the ground. The court viewed the accused’s behavior as a calculated choice born of fear and, at best, self-defense claims that the jury did not accept. The use of such a weapon placed the victims at a clear disadvantage, the decision notes, and the purported fear could not justify the killings under the law. The jury did not acept the version that framed the act as necessary to save the accused from danger.
special accusation
The sentence elicited applause from lawyers Juan Ramon Camacho and Antonio Herdero, representing the private prosecution from Balms Abogados. They had sought a higher term of fifty-two years. By labeling the act as treacherous, the court effectively dismissed the defense strategy that relied on fear as a lawful pretext. The prosecutors maintained that even if there had been some perception of danger, the legal framework does not permit the use of lethal force when the threat is not immediate or proportionate. They noted that the jury reached its verdict based on the totality of the evidence and the lack of a credible defense.
Truths
Key elements in the case included the accused’s testimony, multiple witness statements, expert assessments, and the forensic report. Genoveva, aged 62, and Noelia, aged 26, had visited Miguel’s cottage in August to recover ladders missing from his farm. Although the missing item had been located elsewhere, the jury concluded that the two relatives were shot with a semi-automatic pistol inside a roofless section of the residence. The distance of the shots, described as very short, and the element of surprise contributed to a verdict that the killings were committed with planning and intent.
The sentence remains subject to appeal, with an option to challenge the ruling before the Galician Supreme Court of Justice (TSXG).
(Source: Galician judicial authorities, reported through official court records.)