Victim injected with fatal dose while accused prepared drugs for himself - police commissioner

A man accused of causing a young woman’s death by injecting a fatal overdose, was preparing heroin to inject himself while Therese Agius was unconscious and foaming at the mouth, the police commissioner told a jury.

“Pawlu Micallef tried to ask for help from Joseph Azzopardi but he was burning drugs for himself... He insisted that Mr Azzopardi come and help him as Therese wasn’t breathing but he said it wasn’t the first time it happened and that she would be ok,” Police Commissioner John Rizzo said.

Mr Rizzo was testifying, before Mr Justice Lawrence Quintano in the trial of Joseph Azzopardi, 40, of Tarxien who is pleading not guilty to the murder of Ms Agius and trafficking in heroin on October 1, 1999.

The prosecution is claiming that Mr Azzopardi injected Ms Agius with the drug, on her request, in the Gżira apartment she rented to prostitute herself. The girl overdosed and the accused allegedly tied her body with a rope and dumped her into the sea.

Recounting the statement of Pawlu Micallef, known as il-bodybuilder, Mr Rizzo said that Mr Micallef had at first denied meeting Ms Agius and Mr Azzopardi that evening.

But when they spoke to him a second time, Mr Micallef changed his version saying that he could not sleep because what had happened was getting to him, Mr Rizzo said.

She had bought three packets of heroin and he bought one. Mr Micallef met with Mr Azzopardi and went to a flat in Gżira where they met to take drugs.

“Therese was already drowsy because she had taken pills before and Pawlu said he told her not to take drugs. But she said that it wasn’t the first time that she was so drowsy and insisted on taking the drugs,” Mr Rizzo said.

Mr Azzopardi started melting the heroin on a tablespoon with a lighter, removed his shoe lace, tied it around her arm and injected it. Ms Agius, who was standing up, took two steps back, swayed a bit and fell to the floor unconscious, Mr Rizzo said.

Mr Micallef said he tried to slap her face and saw foam coming out of her mouth and no pulse, Mr Rizzo explained.

He asked Mr Azzopardi for help because she was not breathing and said it was not the first time that it happened to Ms Agius, he added.

Mr Micallef checked whether she was breathing and Mr Azzopardi also checked and said it was true that she was not breathing. He then told the accused to call an ambulance but he refused because he was out on bail and after his curfew, Mr Rizzo said.

Mr Micallef then went down to speak to Charlie Debono, the owner of the flats, who came up and saw her on the floor dead. Mr Micallef said that Mr Debono, known as Il-Maradona, said to get rid of Ms Agius, Mr Rizzo said.

The accused wrapped her in a sheet and went to get his van. He lifted her on his shoulder and then put her in the van and said he was going to leave her outside the hospital.

Mr Micallef then went to meet his partner Natal at a flat in Ta’ Xbiex and told him to go back to their apartment in Cospicua, Mr Rizzo said.

However, he couldn’t sleep and heard the bell ring at 5 a.m. Mr Azzopardi had come to Mr Micallef’s apartment for drugs but instead he gave him tranquilizers because he couldn’t sleep.