An impassive Alfredo Attard yesterday explained in court how he burnt a murder victim, kept his bones and subsequently buried another two men after being promised €7,000.
Mr Attard said Jason Galea, 39, from Marsa had first promised him €2,000 to allow him to use a field next to his farm to kill Matthew Zahra, 27, from Valletta. A year or so later, he said he was offered €5,000 to bury Mario Camilleri, 51, known as Imnieħru, and his 21-year-old son, Mario Jr.
Mr Galea, together with George Galea, 41, of St Julian’s, are pleading not guilty to murdering the Camilleris. Mario Camilleri Snr is Jason Galea’s brother-in-law and Mario Camilleri Jnr’s uncle. Jason Galea is also accused of killing Mr Zahra. Ronald Urry, 49, of Paola, is also facing the same charge.
Mr Attard was released from prosecution under the witness protection programme, thus allowing him to testify. This was possible after changes to the Criminal Code came into force in March.
Defence lawyers complained at the way he was brought to testify arguing that the prosecution had delayed his testimony to the detriment of their clients until the law came into force.
Mr Attard testified that in 2012 he had met Jason Galea at the Birżebbuġa Labour Party club where he was offered €2,000 to allow him to use his field to kill Mr Zahra. He said that he was given €200, €100, €50, €20 and two payments of €10 each but received no more money. Yet, subsequently, he still accepted to bury the Camilleris in a hole meant to be the foundations of a small room.
‘Bones retained to reveal killings’
Mr Attard said he watched the murder while standing under a carob tree.
He testified that Mr Galea had turned up at his field in a white Skoda together with Mr Zahra. Mr Urry, who was crouched behind a wall, fired shots into the car, killing the victim.
The accused then searched Mr Zahra’s pockets and found a gold choker which Jason Galea kept, he said. Mr Attard said he then buried the body, which he later exhumed and burnt, throwing the bones in a stable. He retained the bones to “reveal the wrongdoing”.
A year or so later, Jason Galea offered him €5,000 to use the field again to kill the Camilleris.
For two weeks Jason Galea kept telling him the murders were imminent and then, one Wednesday, he was told it was the day. Mr Attard said he was leaving home when Jason Galea told him so, adding that one was already in the hole.
About half an hour later, Emanuel Farrugia, known as Leli id-Deffien, turned up at his farm with Mario Camilleri Jr and they went into a small room. George Galea, who was standing behind a curtain, fired a gun at Mr Camilleri but missed. Jason Galea then held his nephew, and together with George Galea, started hitting him very hard.
Leave me, no, Jason leave, me alone
Jason Galea got hold of a knife that was in the room and stabbed his nephew hard, so hard that the knife bent and broke, Mr Attard testified. The two men also hit the victim with anything they could find including tiles.
“I heard Mario, shouting: ‘no, Jason, leave me, no, Jason, leave me alone”.
They then placed his body in a wheel barrow and Mr Attard said he complained the contraption might break. He said he buried the bodies beneath about 15 centimetres of soil. He hid the gun used by George Galea, Mario Camilleri Jr’s watch and the empty cartridges.
Defence lawyer Joe Giglio, appearing for Jason Galea, said he was surprised that Mr Attard should be placed in a witness protection programme when it resulted that the information he had to give was perfectly the same as that which his client had already given to the police. Under cross examination by lawyer Giannella de Marco, representing George Galea, Mr Attard said that while he was in police custody a lawyer told him that if he testified against the suspects he would not be charged over his involvement. Lawyers Steve Tonna Lowell and Shazoo Ghaznavi also appeared for George Galea.
The case continues in June.