'I hope mummy did not die,' Mangion Walker's daughter told inquiring magistrate

Testimony reveals how a day after police found the body of Eleanor Mangion Walker, her nine-year-old daughter still did not know what had happened and told the inquiring magistrate: 'I hope mummy did not die ... maybe I will see her tonight'

Andrew Mangion (left) stands accused of the murder of his estranged wife Eleanor Mangion Walker
Andrew Mangion (left) stands accused of the murder of his estranged wife Eleanor Mangion Walker

The nine-year-old daughter of murdered Eleanor Mangion Walker told the inquiring magistrate – the day after the woman’s body was discovered – that she hoped her mum was not dead and that she could see her later that night.

This emerged from the testimony of police inspector Kylie Borg, as the compilation of evidence continued in the case of the woman’s estranged husband, Andrew Mangion, who is pleading not guilty to murder.

Mangion Walker’s body was found in a Qormi warehouse on 3 July, by police officers acting on a tip off received from the accused's uncle, Grezzju Micallef. 

Mangion turned himself to the police a few days after the murder.

Magistrate Doreen Clarke heard Borg’s testimony before she was asked by a lawyer representing Micallef to excuse the man from testifying in the compilation of evidence against his nephew.

In her testimony, Borg recounted how she was present when – on Monday 4 July – the inquiring magistrate spoke to the nine-year-old daughter of Andrew Mangion and Eleanor Mangion Walker.

The girl had explained how on Sunday, 3 July, she had spent the day aboard a boat with a friend of hers and her grandparents.

The girl said that after the day sailing she had spent some time playing at her friend’s house and then went on to sleep.

Borg said that the girl had seen her father come home at some point, and that he was with Micallef, before seeing her father leave the house “gas-down”.

She said that the girl had told the magistrate, “They are still looking for daddy, because they do not know where he is.”

Mangion was indeed still the subject of a manhunt by police then and his wherabouts were still unknown.

Borg said that the girl had heard her grandmother crying at some point and pleading with Andrew not to go.

“The girl said that her father had left the house soon after and that she overheard him saying something to the effect that he had to leave because Grezzju (Micallef) was going to make a report,” Borg said.

She said the girl then told the magistrate, “I hope my mummy did not die, maybe I will see her tonight.”

The inspector explained how the girl had soon after been told her mother would not be coming home and that she was now “an angel protecting her from heaven”.

Borg said that when she first entered the warehouse where the body was found, she had immediately noticed some blood stains on the floor.

She also saw that the body, which was inside a windsurfer bag, had some fishing line wrapped around it.

Andrew Mangion locked his uncle inside a van

She said she was also present when the inquiring magistrate questioned Micallef who said he had told Mangion to help him offload some wooden pallets on 3 July.

Later that day, Mangion had returned and asked him to go with him. On the way to the wareshouse, Mangion told Micallef that he wasn't going to collect more pallets, but that they were “in fact going to collect Eleanor”.

Micallef had told the magistrate that at the point he had realised something was wrong and when they reached the garage, he had tried to take the van’s keys away from Mangion.

Mangion had resisted him and ended up locking Micallef inside the van.

Micallef said that, try as he might, he could not get the van door or window open, and that he could only escape once Mangion returned some time later and let him out, before running off.

Micallef said he had run to his brother-in-law’s house in the vicinity but that he found no one home. He told the inquiring magistrate that he had then tried all the door bells in the building before a woman let him use her mobile phone to call 112.

He had informed the police that there was possibly a body in the warehouse, giving the address in Qormi, and informed them of the possibility of a second crime, fearing that his nephew would commit suicide.

Suspected killer had keys to the warehouse

Borg said the police had also interrogated Mangion’s employer, Julian Grech, who was also the owner of warehouse where the woman’s body was found.

He had confirmed to police that Mangion had the keys to the warehouse and other properties and that he was the only one to use the white van that police were looking for.

Grech also said that Mangion used to tell him that his wife Eleanor was having affairs with other men and that this became evident following the birth of their daughter.

Borg said that Grech told police that Mangion used to tell him he wanted to beat his wife up and that he used to warn his employee off doing something like that.

He had also advised Mangion to get legal counsel and start separation proceedings.

Grech and Mangion had travelled to Rome three weeks previously to look at a boat he wanted to buy, and that while there, Mangion had told his uncle that he was very depressed and that he was taking ‘tranquillisers’.

Borg said that on 5 July, the police also questioned the grandparents of the girl's friend, who confirmed that the girl had spent Sunday with them and their granddaughter. Leslie Bajada, the grandfather, told police that Mangion used to complain frequently about his estranged wife’s boyfriends and about the fact that she used to take their daughter with her on their dates.

Bajada said that Mangion had told them – as early as Friday – that he would not be able to join them on the boat on Sunday as he had to move some pallets.

Borg said that Mangion had still not been found at that point and that the police had then started examining CCTV footage.

Mangion turns up at the depot with his employer

She said that at 4.50pm on 5 July she was informed that Mangion was on the way to the police depot.

“Mangion arrived at the depot with Grech, carrying a shoulder bag, that later resulted to be containing a wallet, keys, his passport, €500 note and €5 notes, as well as Mangion Walker’s driving license,” said Borg.

She said that the police had already been notified that Mangion had mentioned suicide and they therefore took him straight to Mater Dei hospital for examination, before they took him to Mount Carmel hospital at 11.15pm.

Borg said that Mangion was interrogated on 12 and 13 July after being released from Mt Carmel hospital.

In his interviews with police, Mangion said he had started suspecting his wife was having affairs soon after their wedding and that he used to check her emails.

Borg said that Mangion said he had confronted his wife but that she had denied having any affair.

He told police that he never laid a hand on his wife and that his daughter was the only thing that kept him from leaving his wife for good.

“And he told us that for the last two years, he could not even stand to hug his estranged wife,” said Borg.

Estranged husband claims two men killed his wife

Inspector Borg said Mangion had told the police that he and Eleanor had carried some furniture to a garage and that when they were done, and Eleanor was leaving to go and pick up their daughter, two man had come into the garage armed with black automatic pistols.

Mangion told police that one man had told them not to move, and put a gun to his head, while the other man had told they “had warned her not to see that man any more”.

Borg said that Mangion remebered his estranged wife telling the men she did not know what they were talking about and that one man had then taken a piece of wood out of a bag he carried and started hitting the woman on the head.

“Mangion told us that Eleanor took his hand, looked at him and called out his name, while she was being hit,” Borg said.

Mangion said that one man asked what they were supposed to do with him (Mangion), and the other man told they had no instructions about Mangion, and that it was only important that Eleanor died.

Borg said that, when questioned further, Mangion could only describe the two men as “one tall like me, the other one taller, not fat, not thin”, that the pistols were black and they were Maltese.

In cross-examination, lawyer Michael Sciriha, representing the victim’s family as parte civile with lawyer Lucio Sciriha, asked inspector Borg whether during the four interviews with the police, Mangion had ever brought up the matter of tranquillisers.

Borg said the issue had not come up during the interviews.

When asked about the 112 call that Micallef had placed to the police reporting the crime, Borg said that the man sounded very panicked

Mangion's uncle asks court to grant him permission not to testify

When Borg was finished giving her testimony and the court was to call Micallef to the witness stand, lawyer Edward Gatt said he was representing Micallef, who was asking to be excused from testifying.

Gatt quoted Section 633/2 of the Criminal Code that gave the court discretion as to whether to excuse witnesses from testifying.

When called in briefly in front of the magistrate, Micallef said he did not want to testify again.

“I have already recounted everything some six times, why should I testify again?” he said.

But Inspector Keith Arnaud joined Sciriha in protesting this request, insisting Micallef’s testimony could not passed over and that only he could recount what was said between him and Mangion.

Sciriha said that section 633/1 of the same code clearly laid down that the person reporting a crime could not be excused from testifying and that they also had a right to cross-examine Micallef.

Magistrate Clarke remanded the hearing to 1 September, where she will rule on whether to excuse Micallef from testifying.

Lawyer Joe Giglio is appearing for the accused while lawyers Michael and Lucio Sciriha are appearing for the victim’s family.