Updated 5:17pm

The brother of a man charged with a 2017 murder told a trial on Thursday he had cleaned blood off his sibling's car seat on the day of the incident as he was in a state of panic. 

He was testifying in the murder trial in which Kurt Grech, 31, known as in-Nemes, and his father Joseph Grech, 61, both from Pieta, are accused of murdering 21-year-old Brandon Pace in Ħamrun.

The two are charged with wilful homicide, unlawful possession of knives, breaching public peace and good order and threatening the victim’s mother, Lisa Pace and partner Jessica Bilocca.

Bilocca had a son from Kurt Grech. He was also further charged with grievously injuring Bilocca with a knife.

The father is also charged with having threatened the victim's sister, Donna Pace, with a knife during the fight.

Both are pleading not guilty.

On Wednesday, Madame Justice Consuelo Scerri Herrera ordered the police commissioner to investigate three witnesses for perjury.

These witnesses gave conflicting testimonies shortly after the incident in 2017.

Kurt Grech's brothers, Clint and Darren Grech, both took the stand on Thursday to explain what they were doing at the time of the incident.

They both said that - before the incident - they were at the Marsa horse track, where they watched their horse win the race. After this, Clint and Darren Grech took the horse to the stable.

While they were there, Darren Grech said Clint Grech received a call from his mother, and it seemed as if something was wrong.

Clint Grech said he did not remember being on the phone with his mother.

They returned to Pieta where they found their mother unconscious on the floor, and Kurt Grech covered in blood.

Without speaking to anyone, Darren Grech said that he approached the maroon Skoda car parked in the road outside and realised that there were blood stains on the seat.

“I was in a state of panic. I had never been in this situation before... I cleaned the car... and parked it far away,” Darren Grech said.

Bilocca also took the stand, however, the court ordered that her testimony could not be reported to the media.

Sister testifies to seeing stabbing

Donna Pace, Brandon Pace’s sister, took the stand and explained she left her car when she realised an argument was taking place.

As she approached the scene, Brandon Pace came downstairs with a knife in his hands. She tried to hold him back to stop him from fighting, but he dragged her into the road before going to fight Kurt and Joseph Grech.

Donna Pace held onto her brother trying to hold him back, but he kept pushing forward, dragging her along and causing them both to trip and fall in the street.

As Donna Pace retreated to the pavement, her brother, weak, joined her on the pavement, putting his arms out to rest on a nearby parapet.

It was then that Joseph Grech stabbed Brandon Pace in the back, she said.

Jessica Bilocca, Brandon Pace’s former partner, had previously also testified to the police that she saw Grech stab him in the back.

Following the stabbing, Pace walked inside the house and his sister turned towards Joseph Grech and started punching him.

Donna Pace said that after the incident she got into her car intending to crash into the accused, but instead only did a U-turn to position her car in the opposite direction.

The defence pointed out that although Donna Pace said this was a scene she would never forget, when testifying the day after the incident she had not mentioned Joseph Grech stabbed her brother in the back.

“I was in shock,” Donna Pace said as explanation for why she did not mention this detail.

The defence also pointed out that in previous testimonies she had repeatedly said her brother did not have a knife in his hand, despite now testifying to the contrary.

They pointed out that the knife Brandon Pace was alleged to have carried had not yet been found, and that his blood was found on the glove compartment.

The defence suggested Donna Pace hid the knife in her glove compartment – a suggestion she denied. 

Argument outside residence

Neighbour Mark Mallia also took the stand and recalled how he was working at the Lotto booth when he realised some form of argument was taking place at the residence where the incident happened. 

He saw Brandon Pace, shirtless, come outside and confront the two men. He saw him fall, walk back inside the apartment block, and a maroon car speeding off. 

Mallia said he did not see any blood or weapons. However, the defence pointed out how in an earlier testimony he had said that Kurt Grech had blood on his shirt. Mallia confirmed this. 

A day after the incident, Kurt Grech had told police that Brandon Pace had stabbed him first in the chest, prompting him to retaliate.