A man who claimed to have acted in self-defence when he stabbed his friend during a fight that broke out inside a Qawra flat last year, was cleared by a unanimous verdict in a trial by jury.

Okolo Innocent Okwudili, a 39-year old Nigerian tile-layer stood accused of murdering his flatmate and fellow national Anoubi Joseph Ezechi, 37, shortly after midnight on March 15, 2020 over what appeared to be a trivial argument about groceries. 

Okwudili took the witness stand at the trial recalling that episode when the victim had allegedly almost beat him to death, prompting his reaction to defend himself by stabbing his aggressor once with a knife. 

However, that line of defence was rebutted by the prosecution, led by AG lawyer Maria Francesca Spiteri, who pointed out that the accused had only suffered slight injuries.

Moreover, he had only chosen to put forward this version when testifying for the first time before the jury, argued the prosecutor, prompting the defence to rebut that the accused could have chosen not to testify but had opted to do so since he had nothing to hide. 

The fatal incident took place just after the victim’s wife had given birth to the couple’s child in Nigeria.

She had called her husband to break the news about the birth only to learn that he was dead. 

At the end of the trial, whihwas presided over by Madam Justice Consuelo Scerri Herrera, the jurors returned a unanimous not guilty verdict, clearing the accused of all criminal liability.