1989 murder: Carmelo Sant, Pace jailed 30 years each
The room were Nazzareno Ebejer was shot and killed in April 1989.
Carmelo Sant, 58 of Birkirkara, was this evening jailed for 30 years for the murder of Nazzareno Ebejer in a case which took place 20 years ago. He had pleaded guilty on Monday instead of undergoing trial.
George Pace, 58, was also jailed 30 years after a trial by jury found him not guilty of murder, but guilty of being an accomplice.
The trial heard how Mr Ebejer, 66, of Birkirkara, was shot dead in a room at L-Ahrax in Mellieha in what was meant to be a robbery, because he boasted of carrying a lot of money on him. He actually carried none.
Mr Pace had told the court that he, Mr Sant and Michael Vella, now deceased, had planned to rob Mr Ebejer, but he pleaded that there was no arrangement between them to shoot and kill him.
The jurors decided by a 7-2 margin that Mr Pace was not guilty of murder but guilty of having been an accomplice. He was found not guilty of the possession of a firearm.
The sentences were handed down by Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono. He said that in the case of Mr Sant, proceedings were carried out at a normal pace and did not take any more time than they should have.
However, Mr Sant did not show any signs that he was going to admit to the charges and in fact waited until the very last moment to place a guilty plea. Because of this, he had gained little or nothing from pleading guilty in terms of getting a reduced punishment.
He had been left to enjoy life for 14 years before being found out and had even committed other crimes while mostly living as a free man, which included theft, attempting to corrupt a public official, threatening public officials, threatening prosecution witnesses and the corruption of a 14-year-old. He was jailed on two separate occasions in connection with these crimes, the judge said.
In Mr Pace’s case, the men who were supposed to be Mr Ebejer’s friends had betrayed his trust. They first used to spend time together in front of the old railway station in Birkirkara and then took him for what was supposed to be an outing to eat a ħobza in Armier where Mr Ebejer was killed.
After searching his body for money they left him there in a pool of blood.
Both men showed no reaction on being sentenced and there was little emotion from their relatives which usually characterises the end of a trial by jury.
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marthese mussett
Oct 23rd 2009, 12:59
@T.Borg This was a premeditated murder,he was supposed to be their friend,they could have found other ways to rob him,though they had no right to his money anyway.Yes we all grow and change but they knew right from wrong,they were 38 years old when they commited this crime,they should have known better.If it was a dear relative of yours they killed,I m sure you would think different.We all commit sins but have to pay for the consequences.We don t need evil people around us,thanks to the police force,and a good,honest judge,Let s hope that more evil people get caught,preferably sooner, and that justice be done.
joe vella
Oct 23rd 2009, 11:06
ghall- erwieh ghallanqas ghandna magistrat /mhaffef bis-sens
grazzi mulej
neville debattista
Oct 23rd 2009, 10:54
@ t. Borg. This is one of the most if not the most horrendous and pointless murder ever commited. The premeditated murder of a defenceless septegenerian commited by his supposed friends who made him believe that they would be taking him for an outing to eat a hobza or two. They took him for a ride instead spilling out his blood and life.
P borg
Oct 23rd 2009, 09:55
thumbs up to Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono
D.Cachia
Oct 23rd 2009, 09:49
@t.borg
The sentence is in no way excessive. This was a particularly heinous crime where the victim was betrayed by his supposed friends, murdered in cold blood and would have been robbed of all his money. You speak about reform but perhaps you forgot to read this paragraph: "He had been left to enjoy life for 14 years before being found out.... committed other crimes... theft, attempting to corrupt a public official, threatening public officials, threatening prosecution witnesses and the corruption of a 14-year-old.... was jailed on two separate occasions..." He had all the time to reform himself but chose not to.
As for Pace, let me remind you that he chose to stay silent for all these years, knowing full well that a man's life was taken away from him and his family. Had he confessed years ago, he would have probably only been given a heavily reduced sentence. By staying silent, he is as guilty as Sant.
Finally, it should not be up to the justice system to "think of the accused family" (sic), but of the accused - Sant knew what he was doing.
Justice has finally prevailed.
J.camilleri
Oct 23rd 2009, 09:12
@ t.borg... what if it was your beloved son/brother/baby/wife/sister/mother/father/friend or yourself shot dead ! would you consider the same way of your reasoning ?
GiovDeMartino
Oct 23rd 2009, 08:39
Mr. Justice Joseph Galea Deboni is certainly the most popular man in Malta.
Peter Korsten
Oct 23rd 2009, 08:12
"in my opinion 30 years is too much."
Odd. Given the cold execution-style murder, and the previous convictions, in my opinion it should have been life in prison. Given their ages, it may not make much of a difference, although I'm not familiar with how parole works in Malta.
Paul Barrett
Oct 23rd 2009, 01:09
From the previous articles published in the Times I would say that this is a perfectly just sentence. It emphasis that life is sacred and where a life is taken, all those involved in the initial crime are equally responsible for the death and that this will not be tolerated.
t.borg
Oct 22nd 2009, 22:36
in my opinion 30 years is too much. the one that admitted should have been given a lesser sentence. after 20 years surely they are not the same persons. moreover the jury found him not guilty of murder. we are all humans we inherited sins. when giving a sentence one should think of the victom's family and also the accused family as they all suffers in one way or another. with great respect 10 to 15 years i think it would have been more than enough. prison is not a place for punishment but a place for reform. all this does not exclude that the judge is one of the best judges malta ever had.