Updated at 7.40pm

A police inspector recalled the harrowing scene of finding 21-year-old Brandon Pace lying on his back, covered in blood, after being fatally stabbed in 2017 at his mother's home.

The trial of Kurt Grech, 31, known as ‘in-Nemes’, and his father Joseph Grech, 61, both from Pietà, began on Tuesday before Madam Justice Consuelo Scerri Herrera. The two men are charged with wilful homicide and other offences in connection with Pace’s death on April 2, 2017, in Giovanni Barbara Street, Ħamrun.

Both men pleaded not guilty to the charges, which also include unlawful possession of knives, breaching the public peace, and making threats. Additionally, Kurt Grech faces separate charges of grievously injuring his former partner Jessica Bilocca with a knife. His father, Joseph, is accused of threatening the victim’s sister, Donna Pace, with a knife during the altercation.

Inspector Elliot Magro, stationed at the Ħamrun Police Station at the time, was one of the first officers on the scene. The prosecution recounted how, on the night of the incident, police were alerted to a murder in Ħamrun.

The Hamrun apartment block where the murder took place.

Investigations revealed that Pace was at the home of his mother, Lisa Pace when Kurt Grech arrived and began insulting her from below the balcony. Shortly after, Magro arrived at the scene and found broken tiles scattered outside the residence. Inside, the front door was wide open. Pace lay motionless on the ground, his back soaked in blood.

He had suffered stab wounds to his chest, thigh, and shoulder.

A violent confrontation escalates

Meanwhile, a separate emergency call reported that Kurt and Joseph Grech had called for medical assistance in Triq San Girgor, Pietà. Later, police discovered two knives discarded in a gutter along the same street.

Testimony from Lisa Pace, the victim’s mother, shed more light on the altercation. She told police she had heard a commotion outside and saw Joseph and Annamaria Grech - Kurt’s parents – below Bilocca’s balcony. When Lisa Pace went downstairs to calm the situation, she saw Bilocca throwing tiles at the couple.

At that moment, Kurt Grech arrived with two knives. Seeing this, Brandon Pace also grabbed a knife and went downstairs.

According to Lisa Pace, Brandon slipped on the ground during the scuffle, and then came the fatal moment. "You’ve killed him!" she recalled screaming. To which Kurt Grech allegedly replied, "Let him die."

The next day, police arrested Kurt Grech, who provided his version of events. He claimed that Brandon Pace had stabbed him in the chest first, prompting him to retaliate by stabbing Pace in the chest and shoulder, though he couldn't recall the exact number of wounds.

He also admitted to accidentally stabbing Bilocca in her thigh when she rushed down to see Pace lying on the floor. However, he insisted that his father, Joseph, never held a knife.

In contrast, Bilocca told police that Joseph Grech had taken a knife from Brandon Pace and stabbed him.

CCTV footage from Kurt Grech’s residence further complicated matters. It showed that before heading to Ħamrun, Kurt parked his car in the middle of the road, went inside, and walked out holding a knife in each hand. After the incident, the footage captured Joseph Grech returning home with Kurt, who was clutching his chest as if wounded.

Lawyers Roberto Montalto, Katheleen Grima and Edward Gatt are defence counsel while lawyers Rachel Tua and Ishmael Psaila are representing the victim’s family. Lawyers Kevin Valletta and Kaylie Bonett, from the Attorney General’s office, are prosecuting.

Note at 8.30pm: 

The original story said Pace was found at his girlfriend's home, which has been amended to him being found at his mother's home.