The family of murdered Gozitan lawyer Michael Grech have expressed satisfaction at the conviction of David Zerafa, who was yesterday sentenced to life imprisonment, meaning he will die in prison.

But while Dr Grech’s wife Maria, their daughter Deborah and son Giovanni were pleased with the conviction, they said “justice has only partially been served” because an accomplice in the murder has yet to be arraigned.

The proceedings against Mr Zerafa have been going on for nine years while the trial by jury lasted nine days, characterised by heart-wrenching details of how Dr Grech was killed.

He was found by his wife and daughter lying face down in the garage adjacent to the apartment block where they lived in Marsalforn, a fatal blow having been delivered to the back of his head and a gunshot to his neck.

One of the most crucial pieces of evidence was the identification of Mr Zerafa by Mrs Grech, who recognised his “particular, almond-shaped” eyes after catching a glimpse of them that day through his balaclava.

Jurors returned yesterday afternoon after some five hours of deliberation to find Mr Zerafa guilty of murder by eight votes to one, guilty of holding Dr Grech against his will by seven votes to two, and by eight votes to one of being in possession of firearm and firing it in a public place.

In the name of the Republic, the Attorney General is requesting that he be put away for life

Mr Zerafa stood emotionless in the dock as he learned his fate. He was accompanied by 11 police officers and a nurse from the Forensic Unit at Mount Carmel Hospital, where prisoners who need psychiatric help or are vulnerable are usually kept.

Dr Grech’s family watched the proceedings from the back row of the public gallery and left the court room with a look of relief on their faces.

In sentencing Mr Zerafa, Mr Justice Law­rence Quintano described the crime as a “premeditated and cold blooded murder”, adding that the fact he was under psychiatric care did not diminish his responsibility for the killing.

Lawyer Arthur Azzopardi, appearing for the family, said Mr Zerafa had made it clear through his actions – by dumping Dr Grech’s body in the garage – that he had intended the suffering to extend to them too.

The home, he said, was the most sacred place in the family and he had violated this place, leaving a family to suffer for the rest of their lives. Dr Grech’s wife had lost the love of her life whom she had known since she was 17.

Lawyer Phillip Galea Farrugia, from the Attorney General’s Office, said murder was the worst crime one could commit and the fact that the lawyer had been killed because he was representing Mr Zerafa’s former wife made it all the worse.

He asked for Mr Zerafa to be jailed for life, highlighting how he had a criminal record that went back to 1993 and included multiple convictions for threats and violence against the police as well as threatening to shoot his former wife dead.

Defence to appeal verdict

“In the name of the Republic, the Attorney General is requesting that he be put away for life,” Dr Galea Farrugia said.

Defence lawyer Malcolm Mifsud said his client would be appealing the verdict and was still contesting his innocence.

Dr Mifsud accused the Attorney General of using two weights and two measures, citing another murder in which the Attorney General had asked for the convict to be jailed for 29 years when the victim was a prostitute.

He said now that the court had a lawyer for a victim, the Attorney General was requesting life imprisonment.

Earlier, Dr Mifsud requested that the psychiatrist treating his client should testify but he could not be reached and Dr Mifsud said he just wanted to confirm that Mr Zerafa was on various medications.

He said his client had also suffered greatly over the past nine years.

Life sentences of the past two decades

The two longest serving inmates at the Corradino Correctional Facility are Tunisians Mohsin Bin Brahim Mosbah and Ben Ali Wahid Ben Hassine, who were sentenced to life after admitting to killing four people on separate dates in February 1988. This was the only case of serial killing in Malta with the motive being theft.

Other life sentences have been handed down to:

Richard Grech, also known as Iz-Zinnanna, for the murder of bank messenger Alphonse Ferriggi, who was killed with a single shot to the head at almost point blank range in September 2000.

Joseph Harrington, after being convicted of murdering Sylvia King, who was burnt alive in her car on April 4, 1993 at Kunċizzjoni, limits of Rabat.

Bertu Ellul, found guilty of killing three people, including a seven-year-old boy, in a shooting spree in May 1997. The victims were Rose Baldacchino, her son Antoine and Matthew Baldacchino.

Andy Spiteri, who admitted to shooting Police Constable Roger Debattista as he stood guard outside the Bank of Valletta branch in Qormi in November 2001.

Ian Galdes Spiteri, who formed part of a five-man gang that robbed the bank on that November day.

Ibrahim Ramadan Chamber Shnishah, found guilty of complicity in the murder of hairdresser Alfie Rizzo on February 4, 1998.

Alfred Azzopardi, who killed Vanessa Grech and her 17-month-old baby girl Ailey on November 12, 2001. Their bodies were found in the well of her house, the baby with four stab wounds and her mother with 12.

David Schembri, in 2009, for the vicious murder of 32-year-old Josette Scicluna, whom he stabbed 49 times in front of their seven-year-old daughter after shooting open the door of her flat in May 2004.

“Serial killer” Salvatore Mangion, jailed for life after claiming the reason he admitted to the murder of a woman was a bribe of cigarettes and his favourite dish: eggs and chips. He was already serving a 21-year jail term for murdering Francis Caruana in Żejtun in 1998 and trying to murder Mr Caruana’s sister Josephine in an attempted robbery. He was jailed for life again for the murder of Maria Stella Magrin in 1986 in a similar botched robbery. He was also jailed for the murder of 54-year-old Rosina Zammit after stabbing her 37 times in Safi in 1984.

Gozitan bus driver Ġanni Attard, found guilty last November of being an accomplice to the 2001 murder of traffic warden Fortunata Spiteri.

Ronnie Azzopardi, 41, of Cospicua, was cleared by a jury of the murder of Angela Bondin but found guilty, by seven votes to two, of causing her serious injuries in a bomb blast which led to her death. The bomb was detonated remotely on June 18, 2005 after Ms Grima dragged the grey bag containing the device across the street thinking it was refuse. The bomb was intended for his former sister-in-law Tessie Grima, who was with Ms Bondin when the bomb went off, and her three children.