Accused in 1989 murder case dies in hospital

A man facing charges in connection with a murder committed almost 16 years ago died in the early hours of yesterday morning at St Vincent de Paul Hospital.

Mikiel Vella, 65, known as il-Fixx, had recently been indicted along with Carmelo Sant, 53, known as Karmnu Harbat, and George Pace, also 53, known as il-Berqa.

The three were facing compilation proceedings in connection with the murder of Nazzareno Ebejer, a 66-year- old man of Birkirkara, who was found dead on April 10, 1989 at about 6.30 p.m. at l-Ahrax, in Mellieha.

Vella was initially remanded in custody at Corradino prison but because of his precarious health condition was then transferred to St Vincent de Paul Hospital where he was still under arrest and under police escort.

When arraigned, he was taken to court in a wheelchair as one of his legs had been amputated because of diabetes.

The case in question is considered to be a milestone in the history of the Criminal Investigation Department which, through its homicide squad, solved the case after over 15 years. Prosecuting officers had testified in court that Mr Vella had admitted to his involvement in the murder but when accused in court he had pleaded not guilty.

An autopsy conducted shortly after Mr Ebejer's body was found had established that he was killed about 12 - 18 hours before the body was discovered. This meant that the man had probably been killed on April 9, a Saturday night.

Mr Ebejer used to live alone in a house close to the old railway station. He had returned to Malta a year before he was killed after spending a long time in Wales. The victim was killed by shots fired from a shotgun at very close range.

Mr Ebejer had been fatally hit in the face and he had been so badly disfigured by the shots that it had taken the police two days to establish his identity.

The victim had gone to Wales after being released from prison in 1958. Mr Ebejer had been sentenced to 18 years imprisonment after being found guilty of killing Nina Galea, a 36-year-old mother of nine, at il-Laqxija, in Birkirkara.

On July 20, 1952, Mr Ebejer had had an argument with his brother-in-law, Vincent Saliba, whom he tried to shoot. But Mr Saliba had ducked and the bullet hit Mrs Galea, who was sitting on her doorstep. The bullet had gone through her breast and out of her back, killing her instantly.

In a trial by jury he was found guilty by seven votes against two. But he had only served six years of his 18-year jail term because of an amnesty granted in 1958.

Mr Vella's death closes an episode of a man who had already had another brush with the justice system.

In October 1982, he had faced a trial by jury, also on murder charges, and both cases bear a number of similarities. He had been charged alongside Mario Fenech and Melvyn West and stood accused with the murder of Domnic Zammit, a 31-year-old handicapped man of Gharghur whose badly decomposed body was found covered with stones under carob trees in Wied id-Dis, Madliena on September 25, 1978.

The victim had been reported missing on September 17. His body was so badly decomposed that, as in the case of Mr Ebejer, it was difficult to establish his identity. In the case of Mr Zammit, even the cause of death was difficult to establish.

But the autopsy, for which an Italian expert had been called, had established that the victim had been suffocated and had his neck broken while he was still alive. He had been badly beaten up on various parts of his body, including his head.

Following the trial by jury, Mr Vella was found guilty of complicity in the murder and was condemned to 20 years in prison. Mr Fenech was condemned to 15 years in prison and Mr West was jailed for 10 years.

All had appealed and the Court of Criminal Appeal in 1985 ordered a re-trial because of comments that had been passed by the presiding judge in his final address before jurors had returned their six-three guilty verdict.

The accused were acquitted with a seven-two verdict in a re-trial held in February 1986 which lasted almost a month.