Man accused of son's murder dies in hospital

A man accused of shooting his son dead has died in hospital.

Salvu Dalli, 68, who was accused of having fatally shot his 37 year-old son Antoine last year, succumbed to cancer earlier today.

He had been released on bail in February and was receiving hospital treatment when he died.

Antoine Dalli was shot dead at his home in Triq il-Gudja, Għaxaq in August last year, suffering a single shotgun blast to the stomach from close range.

His father was accused of the murder, with the court hearing that the pair had long-standing financial trouble between them. Earlier that summer, Antoine Dalli had been kicked out of his father’s house. 

Police had been called to intervene after the victim and the accused had been involved in a fight the day before the murder. Just over 24 hours before the murder, the police had received a report to the effect that Antoine had threatened to kill his father.

The cause of the argument was the fact that the Salvu wanted the son out of his house.