Woman recounts how she found husband dead in pool of blood

The Gozo court yesterday heard how the wife of Gozitan lawyer Michael Grech, who was murdered last year, found her husband lying face down in a pool of blood in a garage under construction.

Maria Grech explained that when she touched her husband he was still warm but she could see he was already dead.

She was giving evidence in the compilation of evidence against David Zerafa, 31, of Nadur, who stands charged with Dr Grech's murder last year.

The witness told Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera that her husband had called her at about 9.20 p.m. and told her the day after he had a lot of work in court.

Together with her two children, she was waiting for him to return home from work. At about 10 p.m. she heard a noise in the common parts of the block of apartments where they lived. It sounded like gunshot. She then heard a commotion, some words and a cry of pain. The witness explained that at that moment she thought that someone may have been playing a joke on Steve, a boy who lived in an apartment upstairs. As she thought he may have been hurt, she opened the door of her apartment to see if he needed any help.

It was then she saw a hooded person coming down the stairs. All she could see were his eyes, which were uncovered. He pointed the firearm he was holding in her direction and, with difficulty, she managed to close the front door.

She immediately informed her children there was an armed person outside and she quickly phoned a neighbour, Maria Scicluna, and asked her to check on her brother Steve. She was informed that the latter was in no trouble and that he was at the cinema.

Since she was then trembling with fear she asked her children to phone their father at the office but he did not answer the phone. They then tried his mobile phone but again to no avail.

The witness explained she then decided to go out on the veranda of her apartment to try to warn her husband about the armed person before he entered the garage. However, it then crossed her mind that he could have his car windows closed and therefore would not be able to hear her. So she decided to go downstairs.

When she opened the door of her apartment, Mrs Grech said she saw her husband's briefcase on the floor and some blood on the steps. It was then she realised her husband must have already returned home.

Outside she saw more blood and drag marks on the ground led her to a garage next door.

In the garage she saw her husband lying face down in a pool of blood. When she touched him, he was still warm but she could see he was already dead. She told the court she went to tell her children she had found her husband and they accompanied her to the garage where they saw their father. Her son could not believe that his father was dead.

The police and several other relatives then arrived on site.

Mrs Grech also told the court how she had been involved in the police investigations. She had picked out a man when shown a series of photos of people wearing a balaclava and was also asked to identify a man during an identification parade.

She explained that the eyes of the aggressor had a particular touch.

Police Superintendent Pierre Calleja and Inspector Antonello Grech are conducting the prosecution.

Lawyers Anton Refalo and Vincent Galea assisted the accused.