The relatives of a man stabbed to death in June claim they have been left completely in the dark about the crime and ensuing investigations.

Ghanaian 23-year-old Isaac Kwabena Kyere was stabbed to death during a fight in Marsa, with the alleged aggressor, a 25-year-old man, having since been arraigned for the crime.

The victim’s older brother, Emmanuel Kyere, says their family in Ghana only knows what happened on that fateful day from the news and social media.

“We only know that my brother died because we read it on Times of Malta and we saw some pictures that his friends in Malta posted on Facebook,” he said.

“We have no official confirmation that my brother is indeed gone, but I have been sending him WhatsApp messages and he doesn’t reply, so I think it’s true that he died.”

Emmanuel said his brother Isaac left Ghana for Italy six years ago, before coming to Malta. His mother and father and five other siblings still live in Ghana.

“Telling our mother was very hard. She was shocked and wouldn’t believe the news, until we showed her the pictures on Facebook,” Emmanuel said.

“He was a very cool and sweet guy to everybody. I had never seen him fight in my entire life. We have no idea what happened and we are devastated.”

The family insists they know nothing else about the incident or the ongoing investigations because nobody has contacted them.

Investigators looking into the Triq it-Tigrija murder say Kwake (inset) has confessed to them. Photo: Jonathan Borg

Asked about the matter, the police said they informed the Ghana High Commission about the homicide two days after it occurred. Since the victim was a foreigner and had no known relatives in Malta, it is the High Commission that communicates with the family.

Kyere said his family is aware there is an ongoing court case and believes his brother has not been buried yet due to investigations.

“We would like to at least know when, where and how my brother will be buried, so we can at least celebrate his funeral over here as well. If nobody can tell us anything, we would like to at least send one of our siblings there to follow what’s happening and tell us.”

In court, witnesses said the deadly fight between the two on June 10 was sparked off by an argument over a bottle of whiskey.

One witness testified the victim grabbed a kitchen knife as if to threaten his friend.

A second witness said he saw the two men fighting in the street and Isaac collapse in a pool of blood while the alleged aggressor fled the scene. Police say when they arrived, Isaac was already unconscious, had difficulty breathing and had lost a lot of blood.

The alleged aggressor, Amo Frank Kwaku, was caught by police later that night and they said he was shocked to hear that his friend had died.

“How can I live with this? I killed him,” the suspect allegedly cried out in shock and disbelief when he was informed of the death.