Evidence exhibited in Ghaxaq murder case

Scene of Crime Officers have presented 20 exhibits to the court compiling evidence in the case against Joseph Bonnici, who is accused of murdering his mother and sister.

Evidence recovered from the scene of the double murder which happened in Ghaxaq in March, was exhibited in court as proceedings against Bonnici continued today.

Bonnici, 38, stands charged with having killed the two women inside the family home, allegedly having meticulously planned the murder, going so far as to build the firearm used himself, as well as the logistics of disposing of the bodies in a nearby field. He had then reported the victims to the police as missing.

This afternoon, a police officer who participated in the investigations took the stand, describing the discovery of the corpses and his part in the subsequent inquiry.

The police sergeant and other scene of crime officers who had been present when Bonnici had accompanied the police to the site where he had dumped his victims’ bodies, following his confession to the police.

The sergeant recalled how the two corpses had been discovered after they had removed the soil at the spot Bonnici pointed out.

A few hours after the bodies were found, they were taken to be examined by forensic specialists, the court heard.

In a previous sitting, forensic pathologists Marie Therese Camilleri Podesta’ and Sarfraz Ali, who had performed the autopsies, had told the court that both victims had been shot in the head and their skulls were then “smashed” with a heavy object.

The sergeant had also photographed the search for the heavy sledgehammer allegedly used by the murderer and later discarded. He had handed it in for DNA analysis.

He had also returned to the mortuary to take possession of the clothes that had been worn by the victims at the time of the murder, as well as cash carried by the elder woman. The 20 items of evidence he collected were deposited in court in sealed brown paper bags. The items belonging to the victims were exhibited in two separate nylon bags.

Magistrate Joseph Mifsud presided.

Lawyers Franco Debono and Marion Camilleri were defence counsel. Inspector Roderick Attard prosecuted.