Gaetano Romano, the man found dead in an industrial oven in Buġibba last Thursday, appears to have been killed after "an argument got out of hand," police sources told The Sunday Times yesterday.
Three suspects have been arrested, including a Moroccan in his 30s who is the brother of Mr Romano's father's wife.
Two other men - a Maltese and a 'Yugoslav' - were close friends of the victim, but were reported to have had a number of arguments with him recently.
Sources said the men live close to where the victim was found. The 'Yugoslav' and the Moroccan both hold Maltese identity cards.
Mr Romano's charred body was discovered a day after his 20th birthday in the oven of his father's gypsum workshop in Damascus Street, Buġibba. A nail-gun was used to shoot six nails into his head.
The weapon has not yet been found, and an autopsy failed to determine whether Mr Romano was still alive when his body was placed in the oven.
Police sources have ruled out rumours - sparked due to the nature of the killing and because Mr Romano's father is Sicilian - that there is Mafia involvement.
They said it looked like a hasty "unprofessional" job that was probably the culmination of a heated argument.
Mr Romano's father, Nicola, was abroad with his Moroccan wife when the killing took place, but flew to Malta when his son failed to answer his phone calls.
When he entered his garage in Damascus Street, which is used as a workshop, he found the badly-charred body locked in the oven.
The Romanos' family gypsum business, Cinque Stelle, was at the centre of a controversy last February when residents had complained they were operating an "illegal" furnace which they feared could easily explode. But the fact that the family had several heated arguments with their neighbours is, at this stage, not being given priority in the investigation.
Meanwhile, friends of the victim have left various comments online, saying he was always a pleasant man, despite his tough background.
Mr Romano's Maltese mother died of cancer aged 45, when he was preparing for his confirmation.
The family's dog was killed eight months ago and found rolled in a carpet in a nearby field.
A neighbour said the family had even received photos of the dead dog. The police are investigating if there is any connection between this incident and his death.
One of his childhood friends told The Sunday Times: "He had an awful childhood, he lost his mother when he was still a kid and took a bad route in life. He was smart deep down and full of love. He just didn't deserve this."
cperegin@timesofmalta.com