Faro court has sentenced the man who strangled his girlfriend with a flex and then hid her body for more than 24 hours, to 19 years and four months in prison.After reading the ruling, the presiding judge turned to 38-year-old Miguel Silva and called his actions, "hideous" and "incomprehensible," even though the court did not give him the maximum sentence of 25 years.
The judge said he could have given the maximum sentence but, "whether it was 19 or 25 years, nothing will erase what you did," adding that the crime Silva committed, “destroyed several lives, including your own.”
The death by strangulation of Regina Nunes, 21, was "particularly time consuming" for the victim, allowing her realise she was being murdered.
Miguel Silva tried to attribute his actions to cocaine and alcohol consumption in the hours leading up to Regina’s murder but admitted he was aware of what he was doing.
On the morning of the murder, Regina Nunes refused to have sex with Miguel Silva. This led to an argument that culminated in her being strangled with an electric flex from a heater near the bed.
The judge, noted that the defendant had shown a tendency for crimes, “especially against women."
Silva kept his girlfriend's corpse in the bedroom for more than 24-hours and popped out twice during this period.
The court condemned the defendant to pay compensation of €50,000 to the victim's mother, half of a total compensation set at €100,000 to be divided between Regina’s parents.
