Funchal Court Gives 20-Year Prison Sentence
The court in Funchal sentenced Javier Wolff to 20 years in prison for killing his wife, Sofia Gonçalves. The decision was read by the judge who led the panel, Teresa de Sousa. This section sets the legal outcome that closed a case that had moved through the courts for more than a year.
The ruling followed several sessions in which the judges examined the events of the morning of 30 October 2024. The sentence concluded a process that included psychiatric evaluations, witness statements and a final confession by the defendant. The court linked these elements to impose the prison term.
The judge highlighted that the number of women killed continues to grow year after year and described the defendant's conduct as "treacherous" and "cold."
"It is very sad and reprehensible," he stressed, addressing the man, emphasizing that he killed the woman and mother of two of his children "with less care than one would kill an animal."
Murder Occurred at Couple’s Home in Machico While Victim Was Sleeping
The crime took place early in the morning at the couple’s home in Machico. According to the case file presented in court, Wolff struck his wife three times on the head with an iron bar while she slept. The act happened on her day off from her work as an esthetician.
According to Correio da Manhã Canadá, the murdered mother of two was found by one of her sons.
The 53-year-old man hid the victim's wallet and the iron pipe in a wooded area, and the woman was found dead in her bedroom by one of her sons.
The prosecution also states that the accused "acted with total insensitivity and indifference to the victim's life," on an occasion when the woman "could not offer any resistance."
The couple lived in the house with their two children, a detail that shaped the court’s consideration of the family context. After the killing, Wolff left the scene and drove to Caniçal. This movement between the two places helped investigators trace the timeline of the events before his detention.
Defendant, Aged 53, Attempted Suicide in Caniçal Before Arrest
In Caniçal, Wolff tried to take his own life. Emergency services intervened, and he was later hospitalised. Following his recovery, authorities placed him in pre-trial detention, where he remained throughout the legal process.
This phase of the case added another layer to the court’s review, as it connected the attempted suicide to the gravity of the crime. The timeline from Machico to Caniçal played a central role in reconstructing the hours after the attack, and supported the prosecution’s narrative.
During the trial, it was confirmed that, in the weeks leading up to the tragedy, the woman had threatened to divorce him and that the accused did not cope well with the fact that she lived with a lesbian friend.
Weeks Before the Crime, Divorce Threats and a Friendship Caused Tension
During the trial, witnesses and documents confirmed that, in the weeks leading up to the killing, Gonçalves had said she planned to file for divorce. Testimony also showed that Wolff did not accept her close friendship with a lesbian friend, a detail the court noted as part of the couple’s difficulties.
In the final session, Wolff spoke to the court and confessed to the act. He said he felt regret but could not explain why he carried out the killing. His statement gave the judges the last element needed to close the case, forming the emotional end point of the proceedings described in earlier sessions.
Comments