Murder suspect Salvino Mangion told neighbour he shot victim and would 'go jump'

Murder suspect Salvino Mangion told one of his neighbours he had shot Kyle Mifsud minutes after the incident and signalled his intention “to go and jump”, a court has heard.

More neighbours took the stand on Friday during criminal proceedings against Mangion, who is accused of murdering 33-year-old Mifsud, who died from gunshot wounds on September 22. Mangion denies the charges.

They told the court they had long feared the constant presence of Mifsud and his partner outside the block, describing the couple as “junkies” who loitered, demanded money and were suspected of stealing from common areas.

Neighbours described Mangion being harassed by a group that included Mifsud in the weeks and months leading up to the alleged murder.

Joseph Bonnici was one of the witnesses to take the stand on Friday, explaining that on the day of the shooting, he saw Mangion holding his head.

“Mangion told me, ‘I shot him’ and that he is going to jump,” Bonnici said, adding that the elderly man complained Mifsud and his partner always went to him and feared they would break down his door.

Bonnici took Mangion inside and invited him to call his son. Mangion did not have his phone on him, so Bonnici called a common friend, who then called one of Mangion’s sons.

The witness also detailed having seen Mifsud in the area before the shooting, adding that when Mangion was not home, he and his partner would wait for him opposite the apartment block.

'Everyone feared them’

Bonnici recalled a time when he saw Mifsud and others waiting for Mangion before chasing him for money. Mangion entered the block and returned with money for them.

According to Bonnici, Mifsud and a woman would wait for Mangion daily at 6.30am. “I’d see them come by four times a day,” the witness said, adding he had seen them waiting there the day before the alleged murder.

The witness explained he had seen Mifsud and his partner loitering outside the block when spending time with his wife on the balcony.

He also highlighted concerns among other individuals living in the apartment block, who had discussed thefts of shoes and said they were scared of Mifsud’s group.

“Everyone feared them. They used to question why they were there. They were drug addicts. To tell you the truth, my wife and I are both elderly individuals, and then there was this man [Mifsud], you’d see him walking, you knew they were on drugs, and everyone feared them,” Bonnici said.

Accused was 'visibly scared’

Another neighbour, Josef Grech, said he lived close by. On the day of the murder, he was cleaning the house while his wife was at work. Initially, he thought there had been a fight in another apartment block and then realised what had happened.

Grech explained that a week or two before the shooting, he had noticed Mifsud and a woman, either Donna Camilleri or her sister Amanda, waiting for Mangion to cross the road.

“Salvu was visibly scared. He had a €20 note in his hand, which he dropped to the ground before quickly entering the apartment block,” Grech testified.

He added that he knew Mifsud, who was from Cospicua, and had seen him and the women asking Mangion for money.

“I also know for sure that they sent him to buy stuff,” Grech said.

“What stuff?” prosecutor Kevin Valletta asked.

“Drugs.”

“How do you know?”

“My son lives close to Rene known as l-aħmar, he is well known with the police. I helped him three times when he had as many overdoses. Nowadays, he has a job and we’ve helped him overcome his addiction”, Grech testified.

“Once I took him food which my wife prepared, and Mangion came by and told him ‘I don’t have [any money], once I’ll receive my pension, I’ll pay you’ - that’s how I know,” Grech testified.

The witness recalled an incident when the victim and the woman had waited for Mangion in a certain area before taking him to some fields.

Grech recalled getting angry with Mangion about the situation, however, the accused would tell him, “They’re chasing me, they won’t leave alone… I’ve been filing [police] reports”.

The witness also approached “the woman” and told her to “leave Salvu alone”.

‘Junkies’

Another witness explained that he was watching a film and did not hear anything until a friend called him asking, “Have you heard what Salvu has done?”

The witness said he knew him from Bormla as “Benghazi’s brother”. The witness said that while he was not irritated by Mifsud and his partner’s presence on the street, he was concerned when they were inside the block, due to his mother being elderly and in poor health.

Another neighbour, Joen Grech, recalled that he had seen Mifsud and the women for years. He testified that he would return home from work at 4am and they would already be outside waiting for Mangion.

On the day of the alleged murder, he went to feed animals at a farm. Sometime later, someone called him to check on him due to a shooting in his area involving a youth.

He explained that he told the police that the alleged victim and his friends had been threatening Mangion and chasing him.

Grech said that Mifsud and Donna, whom he described as “junkies”, would come daily.

Asked to explain what he meant by “junkies”, Grech said that seven years ago Mifsud was fit and handsome, but over the years, he had turned very thin and even lost his teeth.

He also explained that the elderly people of the area were very concerned about their presence.

‘Big bang’

Members of the Frendo family, who were preparing for their Sunday lunch and to watch the Grand Prix on the day of the shooting, also took the stand.

Raymond Frendo, the father, explained that before hearing a “big bang” he had someone knocking on a door and shouting “Salvu, open for me”. 

Sometime later, there was a noise. Then someone knocked on Frendo’s door saying, “police and ambulance”. When Frendo opened the door, he found Mifsud, bare-chested and holding his t-shirt to the wound.

Frendo recalled telling Mifsud, “I informed the police and the ambulance” and then went back inside.

The witness said they had installed cameras after finding pairs of shoes missing.

His son, Cleaven, explained he had heard a man whimpering in pain and had called the police and the ambulance.

The witness explained that Mifsud descended the stairs to their landing and knocked on their door. When he opened the door with his father, they found Mifsud lying down on the landing and saying, “Salvu shot me”.

Asked why they closed the door, Cleaven said: “We couldn’t do anything to him. He was bleeding, and we could not help him; we had no gloves. The ambulance had been requested, and it was on its way.”

The witness also said that a pair of shoes which he kept in the common area had gone missing.

He testified that the other neighbours feared Mifsud and the women, confirming that they looked like “junkies”.

‘They don’t look like us’

His mother, Ċettina, waved to Mangion twice as she took the witness stand, saying she had not seen her neighbour.

“He’s such a nice man,” Ċettina said, before testifying similar to her husband and son.

She explained that “these” [the victims] had broken into Mangion’s apartment and that she had been concerned by their presence in the common area.

“They don’t look like us, they weren’t dressed decently… they were like junkies,” the woman said, adding that she feared that if they found nothing to take, they would steal from her.

After she stepped off the stand, the woman waved goodbye to Mangion.

The case continues in December.

Magistrate Marse Ann Farrugia presided. AG lawyer Kevin Valletta prosecuted assisted by police inspectors Stephen Gulia and Keith Rizzo. Lawyers Franco Debono and Adreana Zammit appeared for the accused. Lawyer Nicholas Mifsud appeared for the victim’s family.