Foreman of coal heavers

Antonio Azzopardi was born in Valletta. Azzopardi murdered Giuseppe Camenzuli, known as Żabbatu, outside his own shop ‘Omdorman’ at Broad Street corner with Saint Joseph High Road, in Ħamrun on 6 December 1907.

Azzopardi was tried for his crime on 19 October 1908. After a period of observation at the lunatic asylum, he was found of sound mind. Found guilty, he was condemned to death and executed at Corradino Prison on 27 October 1908.

He was buried in the cemetery of the Civil Prisons at the same Corradino, Paola.

 Azzopardi petitioned to the Governor to have his sentence converted into life imprisonent but his request proved futile.

The following year Dr Fredrick Bernard, one of those who assisted at the execution, reported to Dr P.P. Agius, editor of Risorgimento, that the execution had been bungled, that the CGMO, Dr Caruana Scicluna, had signed the death certificate without performing a proper post-mortem examination, and that Azzopardi was probably buried alive.

In the event, Agostino Levanzin went on to query “Was Xkora buried alive?" while Dr Giuseppe Mizzi LLD further infuriated the issue by an article in In-Naħla. The CGMO sued Dr Agius and Levanzin for libel who were acquitted thanks to a fordmidable defence by Dr (later Sir) Arturo Mercieca who was able to show, corraborated by another expert witness Dr Giuseppe Galizia, that a person could still breathe and be alive after his atlas vertebrae was broken by a fall.

The publication of this story made Azzopardi a popular martyr and miracles of grace were attributed to him. His grave at Corradino cemetery became the venue of many pilgrimages.

He married Maria Carmela Cini on 6th June 1886.

This biography is part of the collection created by Michael Schiavone over a 30-year period. Read more about Schiavone and his initiative here.