Carmel Chircop, 51, from Birkirkara is the third lawyer murdered in the last 11 years, though it has yet to be established if the crime was related to his profession.

Police historian Eddie Attard noted that prior to the murder of Gozo lawyer Michael Grech in 2004 no members of the legal profession had ever been killed.

Dr Grech, 46, was killed late at night outside his Marsalforn apartment by a hooded man. The father of two was regarded as one of Gozo’s top lawyers.

Investigations into the case stalled and months went by until the police got wind of new details the killer accidentally divulged. This eventually led to the conviction of David Zerafa in 2013 who was sentenced to life.

It transpired that the crime had been motivated by the fact that Dr Grech had been assisting Mr Zerafa’s estranged wife during separation proceedings.

Margaret Mifsud (right) was found dead in her car at Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq in 2012.

The other case was of lawyer Margaret Mifsud who was found dead in her car at Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq on April 19, 2012.

Her estranged Libyan partner, Nizar El Gadi, 34, with whom she had two children, was accused of her murder. The accused is expected to face trial soon.