The man who murdered Vittorio Cassone at the Chef Italy food outlet in 1993 burst into the shop with a pair of nylon tights pulled over his face, pointed a small semi-automatic gun at the victim and shouted: ejja, ejja, karta, karta (come on, come on, paper, paper), a court heard today.
It was hearing the evidence by Fabrizio Comandini, who was then 18 and worked at the St Julian's outlet when the fatal shooting took place.
Sporting a bright red jacket, Mr Comandini, who witnessed the murder, told the court that in 1993 he had been in Malta for three years.
He recalled that when the hold-up took place, Mr Cassone had been managing the cash.
The jurors listened attentively as the witness described in a movie-like manner the goings on that fateful afternoon.
A man who stands accused of the murder cannot be named by court order because he was under 18 at the time.
The witness said that a young man, wearing jeans and a red and black shirt suddenly burst into the shop, with a pair of nylon tights pulled over his face, pointing a small semi-automatic gun at him.
He said that as a shot rang out, he suddenly saw Mr Cassone lying on the floor. The aggressor ran off with some money which he (the witness) had placed on the counter.
Mr Comandini said that as he bent over Mr Cassone, he saw a hole in his shirt over his chest but he did not see a blood stain. He held him in his arms as he took three breaths and died.
Questioned by the prosecution, the witness confirmed there was sufficient light in the shop to make out the blond hair, fair complexion and light eyes of the aggressor as he stood about a metre-and-a-half away. He explained that behind the nylon hood he could make out the facial features of the aggressor.
The jury heard how two days after the incident, Mr Comandini recognised the accused as the aggressor during an identification parade in police headquarters.
Some seven men were standing in a row, with nylon tights over their face and holding numbered placards. They were made to repeat the words ejja, ejja, karta karta.
He recognised the accused from his stature and facial features. However, he told the police that he was only 99 per cent certain because he feared a face-to-face confrontation with the accused.
He got to know the accused's name from the police on the day of the ID parade and feared for his life.
Asked whether he recognised the accused in the courtroom, Mr Comandini nodded his head in the direction of the accused, seated in the dock, and said that although he now had a different hairstyle, it was the same person he had identified 23 years ago.
The accused listened passively, arms raised on the armrests of his chair.
Under cross examination, the witness could not explain why, in 2011, when the inquiry was reopened, he had indicated a different culprit when shown the same photos of the identification parade.
Mr Comandini appeared to have doubts between two of the persons in the parade. He suggested that perhaps if the accused were to be hooded in the dock he would be better able to identify him.
Grilled by the defence, the witness admitted that during the hold-up he was staring at the gun rather than the face of the aggressor. While trying to open the cash register, he was so scared that he was fumbling with the drawer when the shot was fired.
Pressed further, Mr Comandini insisted that he could never forget the light eyes and fair hair of the aggressor. Those few fatal minutes seemed like an eternity and "they have remained imprinted in my brain", the witness concluded.
Lawyers Franco Debono and Marion Camilleri were defence counsel.
Dr Kavin Valletta and Dr Anne-Marie Cutajar from the AG's office prosecuted.