A father and son charged with murder sat in court today as the compilation of evidence surrounding the vicious knife fight that claimed the life of Brandon Pace got underway.
Kurt Grech, sat alongside his father Joseph as Inspector Keith Arnaud testified at length about police investigations surrounding the April 2 incident, from the moment when police were first informed of commotion in Giovanni Barbara street in Ħamrun up to the arraignment of the father and son.
Arriving at the scene of the crime, police had found Mr Pace's lifeless body at the common entrance to the apartment block, lying face up in a pool of blood. He was wearing shorts and was barefoot. There were two knife wounds on his chest.
Fragments of broken tiles and blood stains were visible on the outside of the block, remnants of the fight which had allegedly taken place some time earlier between the victim and the two accused. The victim's partner, Jessica Bilocca, and mother of Kurt Grech's six-year-old son also allegedly suffered slight injuries in the fight.
READ: Murder victim was stabbed in the heart
The court, presided by magistrate Aaron Bugeja, heard how a row had reportedly erupted between Ms Bilocca and Kurt Grech's mother over the phone earlier on in the day. The conversation, which concerned Ms Bilocca's child, degenerated into a slandering match.
It was shortly afterwards that Kurt Grech, accompanied by his parents, turned up outside the Pace residence in Ħamrun. Upon hearing the screeching of car brakes and a loud hammering at the outer door, the victim's mother had looked out and spotted the Grechs who had arrived in two cars.
Warning Ms Bilocca to keep Brandon Pace away, the mother went down to try to calm the situation. She was met by Kurt Grech who was armed with two kitchen knives. Not heeding her advice, Mr Pace followed shortly after, also armed with a knife.
In the ensuing fight, the victim's mother had allegedly witnessed her son being stabbed by Kurt Grech as he lay on the floor close to the entrance. At one point, he had allegedly staggered to his feet, taken a few steps and collapsed as Joseph Grech, father of the co-accused stabbed him in the back. This was relayed to the police by the victim's mother and was denied by Mr Grech himself.
Anna Marie Grech, mother and wife of the two accused respectively, had told police that members of the Pace household had hurled tiles at the Grechs from the balcony when the latter arrived shortly before the stabbing.
The court also heard how the police, who first arrived at the scene of crime, had been told that the Grech family had fled the scene in two separate cars. All three were arrested later inside the family home in Gwardamangia where investigators discovered blood stains in a corridor leading to the bathroom, together with cotton wool and gauze. Kurt Grech was treated in hospital for injuries sustained in the fight. His father had also been injured, while Ms Grech had to be treated for shock.
The two knives allegedly used in the attack were recovered from a vent hole (sprall) close to the Grech residence, after police were led to their discovery by a trail of blood. Similar knives were found inside the Grech kitchen.
Kurt Grech had told the police that he had gone to Ħamrun to face his former partner. He never intended to attack Mr Pace but had armed himself since he did not trust Mr Pace's temperament, he said. Moreover he had allegedly retaliated when Mr Pace had hit out at his father who was trying to defuse the argument.
CCTV footage taken from security cameras in Giovanni Barabara street as well as outside the accused's residence had been scrutinised by the police. Although the actual fight had not been captured, the movements of the parties involved were recorded.
Inspector Arnaud informed the court that a police fixed point was no longer necessary at the scene of the crime.
Inspectors Keith Arnaud and Elliott Magro prosecuted. Lawyer Roberto Montalto was defence counsel, while lawyer Noel Bianco appeared parte civile.