When Eric Borg was shot dead outside his hometown in Rabat on Monday, it was just over thirteen hours into the New Year.

The killing of the 27-year-old taxi driver marked the third time in 224 years a murder has been perpetrated on New Year's Day. 

And according to crime historian Eddie Attard, it is unusual for murders to be carried out in the first month of the year. 

“January has the least number of murders, with 28 documented since 1800,” Attard told Times of Malta.

A double tragedy shrouded in mystery

The murder on Monday has revived memories of a double tragedy that took place 12 years ago on New Year's Day.

Malta entered the New Year in 2012 with the news that Duncan Zammit, 32, and Nicholas Gera, 26, had died of multiple stab wounds in Zammit’s apartment.

At the time, the police were unaware of the motives and had not established any links between the Zammit family and Gera, who entered the home in the early hours of the first day of the year.

It was witnessed by Zammit's wife, Claire while their three-month-old twins were sleeping in another room. She called her father, entrepreneur Angelo Xuereb, and the emergency services following the accident.

In a magazine interview, she recounted the shock of waking up and seeing her husband “fighting for his life”.

The motive remains a mystery and, 12 years on, the case is still unresolved.

A murder, and an execution

The first reported homicide to take place on New Year’s Day in Malta happened in 1879 when Vincenzo Cucciardi's body was found in his home in Cospicua.

Following days of investigations which led to nothing, the authorities guaranteed impunity from prosecution to any accomplice who would reveal the identity of the killer and the circumstances surrounding the murder.

It also offered a prize of 100 scudi (around €1,900) for information.

A man called Ċikku Attard told the police that he had information about two crimes. He claimed Wenzu Bonanno was the mastermind behind the murder and he had managed to lure a certain Toni Ellul, the victim’s son-in-law, to join him in the crime.

Around midnight, two other men, Wiġi Darmanin and Ċikku Farrugia, went to Cucciardi's house to rob him. At the time of the robbery, Ellul was also there. After stealing various silverware and valuables, Cucciardi was stabbed to death.

During the robbery, Attard stayed close to the door and later on told the police that he had fled the scene of the crime.

While Attard was given a pardon for providing information on the accomplices, the police could not find Ellul as he had fled Malta.

Apart from this murder, Attard also provided the police with information about another murder that took place on December 29, 1879, when Francesca Bellia was murdered by Farrugia and Bonnano.

A year later, on January 21, 1830, a trial against Darmanin, Farrugia, Bonanno and his wife, Maddalena Bonnano began and all were charged with theft and murder.

All three men were given the death penalty and were executed in Floriana on February 3, 1830. Maddalena Bonanno was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.

Other notable murders in January

January 21, 1837

Rożi Ciangura was thrown into a well in Mtaħleb, limits of Rabat by her husband, Feliċ Ciangura. Her death is the first homicide reported in Malta since 1800. Feliċ managed to flee Malta and, after 19 years, returned. He was later charged with his wife’s murder and consequently sentenced to life imprisonment.

January 2, 1893

George Godwin, an English sailor, was murdered by 24-year-old Ġużeppi Vella during a dispute behind a prostitute’s door in St Anne's Street in Valletta. Vella tried to skip the queue, insisting that he should go first. An argument broke out between the two men and Godwin was strangled to death.

January 2, 2022

Paulina Dembska’s body was found at the Independence Gardens in Sliema. The 29-year-old Polish student was raped and murdered in the early morning. Abner Aquilina was charged with murder and the case is still ongoing.

Officers previously testified that Aquilina told them “the devil” made him kill the Polish student and a court heard that his confession was recorded on a police bodycam.

The murder horrified the nation and, following countless protests and mounting pressure by women’s rights groups, Malta introduced the concept of femicide in the criminal code in June 2022.

January 18, 2023

Just one hour into her 30th birthday, Pelin Kaya was walking home from a small birthday celebration when she was killed after a car ran her over.

Kaya, originally from Istanbul, was an interior designer who lived in Gżira, not far from the crash site, and had been living in Malta for over a year.

Jeremie Camilleri was charged with murder and the case is still ongoing. He pleaded not guilty to wilful homicide and causing property damage.