The murder trial of a Portuguese man, killed in August 2021, continued on Tuesday at the Luxembourg City District Court, with testimony from a man who had simultaneously been in a relationship with both the main defendant and her mother.

All names have been changed to guarantee anonymity.

Antonio, the man who had been in a relationship with the main defendant, Ana, and her mother, Mariana, told the court that about a month before the holiday in Portugal, the two women had discussed various poisons while they were in Esch. However, he claimed he never believed that the woman he loved was capable of murder.

According to his account, on 29 June 2021, Ana had dinner with Mariana and Antonio when she suddenly asked if he knew of any poison that left no trace. He said he didn't, but mentioned something he had once seen on a National Geographic programme about a tea-based poison used in the Amazon. Police later discovered that he had searched online for information related to this. He maintained, however, that he found nothing useful.

At that point, Mariana reportedly suggested using "poison for beetles", to which Antonio replied that such a substance required a certificate to obtain. Ana allegedly told them she would find someone to buy it for her. Antonio stated that he didn't take the conversation seriously and never imagined the two women would actually go through with it, even though Ana had repeatedly said that the victim, Pedro, would not come back from Portugal.

Antonio stated that he didn't believe her, even when he saw Ana mixing sulphuric acid into sangria a few days before the crime, apparently to give it to Pedro. Because it would have burned immediately, he thought Pedro would notice and therefore was not worried. The next day, as he passed Pedro in the corridor, he simply warned him not to drink anything the women gave him, without explaining why. He claimed he still believed Ana would never really harm anyone.

On the night of the murder, Antonio said he went to bed after Ana's children were asleep and scrolled through Facebook until he drifted off. He claimed he had no idea that Mariana had gone out with her cousin that afternoon to buy the poison. He told the court that he never saw or touched the poison.

Antonio explained that he woke up later that night to find Mariana telling him that Ana had poisoned Pedro and that he needed to help dispose of the body. He said he refused, at which point Mariana mentioned asking her grandson to help instead. Antonio claimed he didn't know whether that actually happened. Shocked and terrified, he said he packed his things and fled, fearing the two women might kill him as well. Antonio also stated that he did not ask about Pedro, did not call the police, and did not ask for a doctor.

The judge noted that Antonio had had the opportunity to save Pedro but did not act. When questioned about inconsistencies in his statements to the police and the examining magistrate, Antonio explained that he had spent nine months in a psychiatric facility.

In a later interrogation, he claimed that Mariana had "bewitched" him, and said he only freed himself from her influence after finding a cross while walking in the woods. Holding it while he slept, he said, he awoke the next day feeling like "a new man". From then on, he claimed, he could finally explain what had actually occurred.

The trial will continue on Wednesday, when the son of the main defendant is expected to testify.