The Murder of Luís Grilo

The disappearance and homicide investigation

Luís Grilo, a triathlete, disappeared in July 2018. The investigation ultimately became a homicide case involving his wife, Rosa Grilo, and António Joaquim, with whom she had a relationship.

The prosecution alleged that the defendants acted together to kill Luís Grilo and dispose of his body. During the court process, the precise reconstruction of who performed particular acts was contested, and the first-instance jury did not reach the same result for both defendants.

First-instance judgment

On March 3, 2020, a jury court in Loures sentenced Rosa Grilo to 25 years in prison for crimes including the homicide of Luís Grilo. António Joaquim was acquitted of homicide and received a suspended sentence for a weapons offense.

That acquittal is an important part of the procedural history. It was later reversed, but Crime by Region does not describe António Joaquim as having been convicted at first instance.

The appeal reverses António Joaquim's acquittal

The Public Prosecution Service appealed. On September 8, 2020, the Lisbon Court of Appeal changed the factual findings and held that Rosa Grilo and António Joaquim had acted together toward a common objective of killing Luís Grilo and disposing of the body.

The appellate court maintained Rosa Grilo's 25-year sentence and imposed an aggregate 25-year sentence on António Joaquim, reversing the first-instance homicide acquittal.

Supreme Court review

Both defendants appealed to Portugal's Supreme Court of Justice. On March 25, 2021, the Supreme Court rejected their appeals and maintained the Lisbon Court of Appeal's judgment, leaving both defendants with 25-year prison sentences.

António Joaquim later reported to prison to begin serving the sentence. The defense announced that it intended to continue challenging the conviction through other legal routes, but those announcements are not themselves decisions overturning the judgment.

The 2023 statement and possible extraordinary review

In May 2023, while testifying in a separate proceeding, Rosa Grilo said in court that she had killed Luís Grilo. António Joaquim's defense then said it was studying whether to file an extraordinary review application based on the new statement and other material.

That later statement does not by itself vacate an existing conviction. In the reliable sources located for this review, no later merits judgment was found that replaced the 25-year conviction imposed on António Joaquim and maintained by the Supreme Court. The file therefore remains classified as Solved / Adjudicated, with the later review issue noted transparently.

Timeline