Murder jury: Etienne Bartolo 'only scared of getting caught' prosecution says

Closing arguments in the trial by jury of Etienne Bartolo were delivered on Thursday morning by Prosecutor Kevin Valletta

Etienne Bartolo, known as il-Vojt, seen here when he was charged in court with the murder of Roderick Grech in 2017 (Photo: James Bianchi/MediaToday)
Etienne Bartolo, known as il-Vojt, seen here when he was charged in court with the murder of Roderick Grech in 2017 (Photo: James Bianchi/MediaToday)

Prosecutor Kevin Valletta delivered his closing arguments in the trial by jury of Etienne Bartolo this morning.

Bartolo is accused of the murder of drug dealer Roderick Grech in Birkirkara. Grech died after receiving six stab wounds from Bartolo in 2017. Bartolo is claiming he acted in self-defence.

Addressing the jurors for the last time, Valletta argued that Bartolo wasn’t scared of Grech, but was only scared of getting caught and that this was shown by the fact that he had tried to wash away blood traces and had thrown away the murder weapon.

“Look at the statements and see if there was any fear. Why did Roderick have to attack him?”

Jurors took down notes as Valletta made his arguments.

The accused’s response was not proportional or inevitable, said the prosecutor. “When Roderick told him he didn’t want to give him the drugs, who insisted that he had to have it?”

Valletta accused the defence of “throwing conjectures and hoping something will stick.” The accused had a drug craving at the time and was prepared to do whatever he could to get it, he said.

“Who was scared for his life? Roderick. Who was armed? Etienne. Who attacked whom?” he asked. “Who had the right to defend himself in the car?”

He reminded the jurors that the man had admitted in his statement to the police.

The trial continues.

Madam Justice Consuelo Scerri Herrera is presiding over the trial.

Lawyers Kevin Valletta and Maria Francesca Spiteri from the Office of the Attorney General are prosecuting.

Lawyers Edward Gatt and Mark Vassallo are defence counsel.

Lawyers Franco Debono and Amadeus Cachia are appearing parte civile.

READ MORE: ‘Etienne Bartolo was clearly scared of Roderick Grech and not vice versa’ defence lawyer tells jurors