When Dolor Cauchi took the witness stand in the 1961 trial by jury of Ġiġa Camilleri, the woman eventually found guilty of murdering her own son, Twanny, she did not think that she herself would end up in custody.

When Cauchi changed her testimony, it not only cost her freedom, if only temporarily, but also her reputation.

The court labelled her the “biggest liar” to ever appear before it, after she repeatedly said she “didn’t know” or “couldn’t remember” what happened the day the boy – her neighbour in Valletta – was murdered.

More than 15 years later, it was a presiding judge who, in an unrelated trial by jury, ended up in hot water.

Mikiel Vella, Mario Fenech and Melvyn West had been found guilty of complicity in the murder of Duminku Zammit, a 31-year-old who was found dead in Wied id-Dis, Madliena, in 1978.

But the case had to be retried by a new jury because, in his final address, the judge commented that none of the accused had given testimony. The three were eventually acquitted.

History has shown us that murder started with humanity and will end with humanity- Eddie Attard

A 40th book by Eddie Attard

These two episodes are among dozens that feature in Eddie Attard’s latest book called L-Omiċidju, Il-Qtil f’Malta Analizzat (Homicide, an analysis of murders in Malta).

The book – the 40th by the crime historian and former police officer – provides fresh data about homicides between 1800 and June 2022.

Attard also provides a concise history of court procedures, police investigations, criminal immunity, forensic analysis and dental evidence, illustrating his research with events linked to murders in Malta, such as Cauchi’s refusal to tell the truth in court.

The book also provides a historical overview of the increasing rights accorded to the accused over the years, the hiding of corpses, homicide motives and cold cases.

The longest cold case in Malta’s history remains that of Francesco Grixti, killed in 1906.

Ignazio Farrugia was sentenced to life in prison in 1928 for killing Grixti who, at the time of the murder, was dating Farrugia’s ex.

A series of poems about murders, which used to be sold in printed form at City Gate, is also reproduced in the book. 

The decade with most murders

According to Attard’s research, murder in Malta peaked in the 1990s with 60 homicides in 10 years.

In 1999 alone, 11 were reported, nearly as many as had been registered in a whole decade from 1950 to 1959.

In all, 12 homicides were reported in the 1950s, a drop of 10 from the previous decade.

For three and a half years during this same decade, not a single murder was registered.

In the following decade, the 1960s, the number of murders increased to 16. And the number of killings between 1970 and 1979 grew by 125 per cent to a total of 37.

By the 1980s, the number of murders recorded over a decade had increased to 56, with Attard noting that a good number of the victims – 18 – were women.

The 1980s also mark Malta’s first serial killing – four people, including two taxi drivers, were murdered and robbed by Tunisian nationals Mohsin Bin Brahim Mosbah and Ben Ali Ben Hassine.

A total of 60 people were killed in the 1990s, making the decade the worst of the century.

The numbers then dropped slightly, with 45 recorded between 2000 and 2009 and a further 59 in the following decade.

Shifting murder motives

According to Attard, the country’s rate of murder remains relatively low when compared to international data.

“In recent years, the yearly average hovered around five to six murders,” Attard told Times of Malta.

“However, we have definitely seen a shift in the motive behind murders: while, in the past, most homicides were mostly linked to a quarrel, in recent decades we’ve had an increase in the number of people being robbed and killed.

“Over the years, there have been many calls to end the phenomenon of murder but history has shown us that murder started with humanity and will end with humanity. Hence, the illustration, by Lazzaro Pisani, on the cover of the book: Abel’s killing by his brother Cain.

“Whether that homicide actually happened or the story of these siblings was inspired by true events, Abel’s murder is the first documented homicide.

“And, unfortunately, murder continues to take place in all shapes and forms. It is not limited to one person killing another.

“The very first quote I cite in the book is that of Albert Einstein, who said that, in his conviction, ‘killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder’. This is quite relevant at a time when the world is witnessing the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” Attard said.

Joyous birth announcement that killed a woman

In November 1866, Ipollito Camenzuli asked Ċensu Azzopardi to hire some musicians to cheer up his wife, who had just given birth in Tunisia.

Azzopardi, who was born in Tunisia to Maltese parents, accompanied the band of musicians outside the Camenzulis’ apartment at around 8pm.

But it so happened that the landlords of the apartment block, Mikiel and Katarina Tortora, were in mourning.

Mikiel asked the musicians to tone it down but Katarina soon started insulting them from the window of their apartment.

Azzopardi fired shots at the couple, hitting Katarina and killing her on the spot.

Azzopardi was extradited to Malta the following year, where he faced a trial by jury and was eventually given the death penalty.