The Public Ministry (MP) de Beja accused a man and a woman of murder and robbery, both qualified, on suspicion of killing a woman of German nationality, in Baleizão, county Beja, in 16 April 2023.
The fact that after the autopsy no fractures were revealed, for the medico-legal expert “it was not possible to determine the cause of death, However, there was an evident trace of traumatic injury.”, which meant that the defendants were not charged with a second crime of qualified homicide against the other member of the couple.
Fernando Belmonte, of 54 years and Mónica Lourenço, of 38 year old, are suspected of having killed and robbed Jan Otton, of 79 years and Ilse Ediltraud, of 71 year old, a german couple, who had lived at Quinta Paraíso Janedi for many years, in the Alentejo village, and who had welcomed the two defendants and the suspect's mother. However, in the face of forensic expertise, no charges have yet been filed against the couple for the man's death.
The couple was living in Albernoa, also in Beja county, and moved to Baleizão, where he rented a house, but he was evicted, for lack of payment. Taking pity on the situation, Jan and Ilse welcomed the Portuguese, who offered to do some work on the property. But the discussions between Fernando and Jan, for demanding money for work carried out, led to the death and robbery of the German couple.
The murder of the septuagenarian couple occurred that day in April, when they were last seen in Baleizão, but the bodies were only discovered 10 May, after an alert from the victims' son who was unable to contact his parents. The GNR went to the scene and as the residents showed no sign of life, they informed the 112 who called the firefighters “to open a door”, discovering the couple in an advanced state of decomposition inside their home.
According to the MP's indictment that Lidador Notícias (LN) We had access, using an iron bar, Fernando and Mónica first killed Ilse and then lured Jan into the house where he was also killed.. When firefighters and GNR entered the house, the man's body was next to the door., while the woman's was stretched out on the bed.
After committing the crimes, the defendants left Baleizão, returning to the scene of the crime three days later, to take possession of the bank cards of the offended parties and the motor vehicle owned by Jan Otto, having headed towards Aljustrel, where they used the cards to purchase various goods.
They later placed an ad in a national newspaper for the sale of used cars., having been contacted by an individual interested in purchasing the vehicle, agreeing the price of 500 euros. The buyer traveled from Lisbon to Beja, where did he end up paying 200 euros for the car.
Fernando and Mónica were arrested on the day 12 May last year, in Aljustrel, by inspectors of South Directorate of the Judicial Police, and the following day they were present at the first interrogation, to a Criminal Investigation Judge of the Beja Court, which applied the most severe measure of coercion to them. The man is in preventive detention at the Prison Establishment (EP) by Beja and his wife in Odemira's EP.
Quinta do Paraíso Janedi became the “Quinta da Morte”
The property was purchased by Jan Otton before he was renovated and brought Ilse to the so-called “Land of Catherine”, as it is known Baleizão, for the tribute to Catarina Eufémia. The couple named it Janedi's Paradise, which are the combination of the first name of the man (Jan) and the initials of the woman's middle name (Edi).
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
