Witnesses describe 2004 murder

A neighbour of Josette Scicluna, a 32-year-old woman who was stabbed to death in her San Gwann apartment in 2004, told a court this afternoon that the victim's former boyfriend had walked out of the flat covered in blood, arranged his hair and with a blank look on his face said they could call the police now.

Testifying in the trial by jury against David Schembri, who is pleading not guilty to murdering Ms Scicluna, Fleur Cilia said she saw Mr Schembri stabbing the victim while she was on the floor in a pool of blood.

Ms Cilia who lives in the apartment directly beneath Ms Scicluna’s flat, said that she heard a loud bang and rushed upstairs to see what had happened. It transpired that the loud bangs were actually gunshots and five bullet holes were found in the door, two lodged in the lock.

Finding the fighting couple's daughter in hysterics, she took her out of the flat and to another neighbour who lived in the same block. On returning, she saw Mr Schembri was stabbing Ms Scicluna and she pleaded with him to stop.

Peeping from behind the front door of the opposite apartment she said Mr Schembri walked out covered in blood, arranged his hair and calmly said with a blank look in his face, “you can call the police now”.

Ms Cilia said that a month before the murder Ms Scicluna asked her to keep the main door of the apartments locked but did not give a reason why. She was a very reserved person and two weeks before the incident she told her that her former boyfriend wanted a pair of leather pants which he claimed was at her apartment, however she said she could not find them.

A second neighbour who was at the grocery store opposite the block of flats said she heard four or five loud bangs and immediately rushed back to the block because she thought something happened to her children. Chantelle Pardo Cali, said that she ran up the stairs finding Mr Schembri with a sharp object in his right hand repeatedly stabbing Ms Scicluna all over her body.

She ran down the stairs and shouted out for help. She then ran back and stayed with Ms Scicluna while she lay in a pool of her own blood.

PC Joanne Bonello said that Mr Schembri went into the police station, sat down calmly and told her that he was in an argument but failed to tell her the details when she asked him what happened. Trying again to find out some information he told her “I’ve done something I shouldn’t have, I’ve injured her”. Standing up in anger he then told her that he wanted to go back to the flat because her father would be there. She then managed to convince him to stay where he was.

The trial continues.

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