Updated | Accused in Hal Far murder given life sentence

Judge Antonio Mizzi has imposed a life sentence on Fodie Keita for the 2010 murder of Adame Diabate at Hal Far, after a jury trying the man returned a resounding guilty verdict on all three heads of indictment.

That jurors' verdict was 8 votes to 1 guilty of murder, 7 votes to 2 of hiding the body and of stealing the victim's phone. Mizzi was not obliged impose a life sentence, given that the verdict was not unanimous, but the judge chose to do so nonetheless.

Keita, a 40 year old Ivorian, is facing possible life imprisonment for the murder of 30 year old Adame Diabate from Mali in 2010. He is also accused of hiding Diabate’s body and stealing his mobile phone.

Diabate’s body was found, buried in a shallow grave near the Hal Far open centre. A knife hilt with the letters “F K” was found at the scene.

The prosecution argued that Keita murdered Diabate over a work dispute by stabbing him several times and then crushing his skull with a rock, before stealing his mobile phone.  The Samsung mobile found in the possession of the accused had belonged to the victim but had Keita’s SIM card in it.

A fellow Hal Far Open Centre resident had reported hearing a sound behind a tree and thinking it was two people having sex. A voice, in the Malian Bambaram language, ordered him to keep on walking.

Three possible suspects came to mind, with the first being the accused, he had said.

Keita’s defence lawyers argued that although some sort of struggle must have taken place, no traces of the man’s DNA was found on the victim and none of the victim’s DNA was found on him. Also, on that day in the Open Centre, there were at least two other people with the initials FK, they insisted.

Over the weekend, jurors were addressed by judge Antonio Mizzi, who summed up the evidence and legal points upon which the jury is to make its decision. Earlier today, the jury retired to reach a verdict.

Lawyers Lara Lanfranco and Kevin Valletta from the Office of the Attorney General are prosecuting, while lawyers Marc Sant and Simon Micallef Stafrace are defence counsel.