A cold-blooded killer was last night unanimously found guilty of murdering a spinster from Cospicua by viciously stabbing her to death in her home 25 years ago.

It took jurors four hours to convict Saviour Mangion, 47, from Żejtun, of slaying Maria Stella Magrin on October 30, 1986.

He has already been jailed for life for killing 54-year-old Rożina Zammit on February 8, 1984, in her Safi home. He stabbed her about 40 times. Mr Mangion is also serving a 21-year jail term for the murder of his neighbour Frenċ Cassar, 74, and the attempted murder of the victim’s sister, Ġuża Cassar, on August 18, 1998.

Prosecuting lawyer Nadine Sant from the Attorney General’s Office said the unanimity of the verdict was “very rare” and he should receive a life sentence.

She highlighted the fact that just two years before this murder he had committed his first by killing Ms Zammit. Both murders were for money, she added.

She also hinted that he might be responsible for a fourth but did not give details and asked the judge to consider what type of person the court was dealing with.

Judge Joseph Galea Debono, she recalled, had described him as a serial killer during the Zammit case, where jurors had found him guilty by eight votes to one. In that case he had received a life sentence, “let alone in this one”, she exclaimed.

“He has stained the reputation of Malta,” Dr Sant said, adding he was even featured on a website called murderpedia.com in which serial killers are listed.

Defence lawyer Simon Micallef Stafrace argued that since the crime was committed in 1986 Mr Mangion should be liable to the punishment at law then, which was not life.

He asked the judge to consider his client’s serious mental health issues.

Mr Justice Lawrence Quintano will hand down judgment on Monday.