Compilation of evidence against Roderick Cassar concluded

The compilation of evidence against Roderick Cassar has been concluded, bringing the Bernice Cilia murder proceedings one step closer to the jury stage.

The prosecution and the defence have finished their submissions, while the parte civile stated that the victim’s family is ready to go ahead to the next phase of the proceedings. 

Roderick Cassar is charged with the murder of his estranged wife, Bernice Cilia, who was shot in the face and chest while she was making her way to work. Cassar’s arrest followed a standoff with the police which lasted an entire day in November 2022.

The victim had filed five police reports against her husband for domestic violence, one of them as the day before she was murdered.

During the compilation of evidence, the court heard that the alleged murderer phoned the victim’s father three times after the murder, telling him that he had killed his daughter.

Further details emerged, with witnesses describing the victim as a woman who was terrified of her husband, detailing violent episodes and direct threats which finally led to the shocking murder. 

The murder also kicked off an independent inquiry which found that a lack of resources and an increased workload were responsible for the State’s failure to protect the victim. 

The inquiry recommended prompt police action to arrest the perpetrator when a court protection order is breached, as well as the introduction of electronic tagging, which is still yet to be implemented.