A 2021 family murder case in Portugal saw the son of the accused testify Wednesday, claiming his mother was responsible for the fatal poisoning of her partner.

All names have been changed to guarantee anonymity.

In the trial for a murder in Portugal in 2021, the son of the main defendant testified on Wednesday. He mainly blamed his mother, though he also had little good to say about his grandmother.

On the evening of the murder, drinks were being served on the terrace, but Paulo went to bed early with his little sister, Christina. She watched a Mickey Mouse show while he watched Netflix, and they both fell asleep.

Paulo woke during the night when Pedro stumbled toward the toilet and bumped into the mattress where he was lying. He heard the man vomiting and thought it was due to alcohol. About an hour later, Pedro passed by again, this time accompanied by Ana, who was trying to wake him. Later, Paulo heard Ana's car drive away and assumed they were heading to the hospital.

The next morning, when his mother asked about Pedro, Ana's first answer was "in hospital". But she was a bad liar. She eventually admitted that she had killed him with sleeping pills, poison, and alcohol. Paulo didn't know how to react and withdrew into his grief. He only came out to eat, watch Netflix, talk to his girlfriend, and play with his sister, while the rest of the family, as usual, enjoyed their vacation.

Paulo, who had grown up with his grandmother, did not go to the police in Luxembourg, fearing his sister Christina would lose both parents. He had not taken his mother's threats before the vacation – that Pedro would not return – seriously. "Because my mother constantly talks nonsense", he said. He also stayed silent because his father would have told him to shut up or even hit him.

According to Paulo, Pedro had been a "top man". He had been provoked by his mother, who repeatedly – and unsuccessfully – tried to provoke him into striking her. He dismissed Ana's claim that Pedro had once grabbed her by the neck as "pure bullshit".

A few months after the vacation, Paulo had to call an ambulance at home in Esch because Mariana's partner, Antonio, was continuously vomiting and sweating. The paramedic said it was an overdose of his stomach medication. Paulo had previously seen Mariana preparing Antonio's doses.

During a court session on Wednesday, Mariana began coughing as if she couldn't breathe. The interpreter laid her on her back, police ran over and placed her on the floor, someone opened a window, a lawyer was called, she had to raise her legs, and the public prosecutor's representative summoned an ambulance. Paulo was unimpressed: this was not the first time. A minute later, Mariana was sitting again as if nothing had happened, and the hearing continued.