Former policeman Carmel Cutajar, who stands charged with the attempted murder of his estranged wife, told the interrogating officer that he “loved her to death”.
The trial by jury of the 50-year-old from Rabat resumed this afternoon, when jurors heard a recording of the accused’s interrogation by lead investigator Insp. Keith Arnaud. The interrogation took place in October 2012, a few weeks after the crime took place, since the accused had been receiving treatment at Mount Carmel Hospital in the interim period.
On September 26, 2012, the accused shot his estranged wife Maria in the chest outside the Point de Vue restaurant in Rabat. He is pleading not guilty to the attempted murder of Ms Cutajar, seriously injuring her, carrying an unlicensed firearm and committing a crime he was duty bound to prevent.
The accused explained that that he had been married to his wife for 21 years and they had two daughters together who, at the time, were aged 14 and 20. However, two months prior to the incident, Ms Cutajar and her daughters left the family home in Rabat and sought out shelter at Dar Merħba Bik. She had also initiated separation proceedings against her husband.
The accused described himself as having his “ups and downs” but “nothing out of the ordinary”, confessing himself to be “startled” at her leaving him.
He added that she had briefly left the home and turned to her mother twice before, once when their eldest daughter was merely five years old and the second time was six years prior.
Pressed as to what could have prompted his wife to leave him, the accused said that she had told him she was unhappy. He went on to detail how, during an argument, she would grab a knife and place it against her heart. Once, she even sped to the roof and threatened to fling herself off it, he said.
Repeatedly pressed on whether he was abusive and violent with her, as Ms Cutajar had told the police, he first insisted that he had “never touched her”, later saying he could not remember lifting a finger.
He recalled that she refused to have intimate relations with him, admitting that he had offended her with her mother.
“I might have hurt her with my words but I never beat her up.”
After she left for the final time, the two reached an arrangement were they would meet twice a week so that he could see his youngest daughter. The eldest daughter did not wish to see him.
However, some three weeks before the incident, his youngest daughter refused to see him anymore. However, he would still go out to meet Ms Cutajar because he loved her, he said.
He recalled how, on the day, he had visited his sister’s residence in Dingli. After that, he proceeded to return to his house in Rabat, where he fetched an old revolver which belonged to his father.
He then drove to Point de Vue in Saqajja, Ms Cutajar’s workplace, but insisted that he was “blinded” and that he remembered nothing from that point onwards. Despite Insp. Arnaud’s persistent probing, he kept insisting that he could remember nothing, repeating ad nauseam that his mind had blanked and that he was blinded, using the Maltese phrase: “Kelli għamad” (“I was blindfolded”).
However, he recalled turning the gun on himself and fishing the bullet from his chest. (He was only slightly injured).
Insp. Arnaud told him that he could not believe him, pointing out that CCTV footage had showed him parking calmly and approaching the Point de Vue in a very relaxed manner, which was not indicative behaviour of someone blinded by rage, passion or any other strong emotion.
Insp. Arnaud also reminded him that he had later turned himself in to the police, telling them that he had shot his wife.
If I were in my senses, I would never have shot at her.”
“I have no idea, sir, I don’t know. I can’t remember. If I were in my senses, I would never have shot at her.”
Towards the end of the nearly two-hour long interrogation, the accused said he harboured a suspicion that his former wife was having an affair. Four months prior to the incident, his wife mistakenly said a text message to his niece reading: “I love you. Thank you for everything, but I need to hang up because he came”.
He said the daughter of his sister only informed him of the message she had received after Ms Cutajar and her daughters had left for the shelter.
“Carm, we know we don’t have a criminal before us,” Insp. Arnaud told him.
“But the situation is this. You were already angry that she left, angry that your youngest – who I am informed was your favourite – no longer wished to see you and you became angrier when you learnt of the message. It was the cherry on the cake,” Insp. Arnaud said, attempting to dig out the motive.
“We know that you knew you made a mistake, because you then turned the gun on yourself. You had three months’ of anger boiling inside you.”
The trial continues.
Judge Edwina Grima is presiding over the trial. Giannella Busuttil and Anthony Vella from the Attorney General's office are prosecuting. Edward Gatt and Mark Vassallo are defending the accused.
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