Safety · Vila Pouca de Aguiar, Valpaços, and Friões
Woman held after confessing to killing stepdaughter, 8, in Portugal
A 48-year-old woman has been placed in pre-trial detention after admitting to suffocating her eight-year-old stepdaughter near Valpaços, Portugal, as public anger spill outside the courtroom.
AI text based on reports by SIC Notícias, SAPO and Notícias ao Minuto. Published . How it is made
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In brief
Eulália Silva admitted to police she suffocated her eight-year-old stepdaughter on 17 June and led officers to the body.
A judge in Vila Pouca de Aguiar imposed the most severe coercive measure on 19 June, sending Silva to prison pending trial.
In court, Silva said she was a victim of domestic violence, her son was mistreated by Lara’s father, and she hears voices; a psychiatric evaluation was requested.
Locals gathered at the tribunal, shouting insults and trying to attack the suspect as she was led away by officers.
Lara Barreira’s body lies in state in Friões, with the funeral planned for 18:00 on 20 June.
- 17 JunLara is picked up by stepmother, driven to Serra da Padrela and killed; father reports her missing later that day.
- 18 JunPolice find Lara’s body hidden behind rocks in a forested area.
- 19 JunEulália Silva arrested and appears in Vila Pouca de Aguiar court; pre-trial detention ordered.
- 20 JunFuneral of Lara Barreira in Friões.
Disappearance and discovery
On Wednesday, 17 June, eight-year-old Lara Barreira was collected from the school bus by her stepmother Eulália Silva, who told a school employee the girl had a medical appointment. She then drove 40 km to the Serra da Padrela, where, according to the reconstruction, she suffocated the child with her own hands. The father, Carlos, only realised something was wrong when the bus driver told him the stepmother had taken Lara. He reported her missing to the GNR that evening. During the early hours of 18 June, police found the body hidden behind large rocks, with her backpack nearby.
Court hearing and the suspect’s claims
Eulália Silva, 48, was arrested on 18 June and appeared before a judge at the Tribunal de Vila Pouca de Aguiar on 19 June. She had already confessed to the PJ and led officers to the crime scene. In court, however, she said she did not recognise herself in the acts, claiming emotional problems.
“It wasn't me who was killing Lara, I never did this.”
She also said she was a victim of domestic violence, that her son suffered abuse from Lara’s father, and that she heard voices. Her lawyer, Mónica Teixeira, requested a psychiatric evaluation. The judge ordered pre-trial detention, and the suspect will be transferred to the Santa Cruz do Bispo women’s prison in Matosinhos.
Public anger and funeral
Dozens of people gathered outside the court, shouting insults and attempting to assault the stepmother as she was escorted by police. The funeral of Lara Barreira is set for Saturday, 20 June, at 18:00 in Friões, with a wake beginning the previous evening. The case has prompted calls for stronger child protection policies in Portugal.
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Sources and context
- SIC NotíciasTensão à saída do tribunal: populares tentam agredir madrasta suspeita de matar enteada de oito anos
- SAPOEmoção e saudade marcam o último adeus a Lara Barreira
- Notícias ao MinutoSuspeita de matar Lara disse ouvir vozes e que era vítima de violência
- SIC Notícias15 minutos: madrasta da menina encontrada morta em Valpaços fica em prisão preventiva
- Eulália Silva
- stepmother suspected of killing her 8-year-old stepdaughter
- Lara Barreira
- eight-year-old victim found dead in Serra da Padrela
- Carlos
- father of Lara Barreira, who reported her missing
- Susana
- mother of Lara Barreira
- Mónica Teixeira
- defence lawyer for Eulália Silva
- David Martins
- director of the Polícia Judiciária (PJ)
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