Woman accused of murdering partner had complained of domestic violence

A woman accused of murdering her partner had repeatedly complained of domestic abuse and even threatened to commit suicide, the court compiling evidence has heard.

44-year-old Mayumi Santos Patacsil, from the Philippines, is charged with the wilful homicide of her partner Marcelino Montalban Saraza on July 1, 2021.

Testifying in court this afternoon, the woman’s former landlord said he had received complaints about her. The man told the court how other residents in the couple’s Mellieħa apartment block would regularly receive messages from the accused, inquiring as to whether her partner was home or complaining of mistreatment.

In just a few weeks, the messages she sent numbered in the hundreds, he said. So persistent were her messages, the landlord said, that one of the other residents had blocked Patacsil from being able to send them any more messages after having had enough.   

These messages have been preserved by an IT expert, who will be presenting a report in forthcoming sittings.

Police Inspector Shawn Pawney presented Magistrate Caroline Farrugia Frendo with a copy of a police report filed by one of the people Patacsil would message. In it, the complainant said that the accused had said she was so unhappy in her relationship with Saraza that she wanted to kill herself.

In fact Patacsil had ended the relationship, but had reconciled with Saraza at a point before the murder, the inspector explained.    

Saraza, 44, was found dead in a pool of blood having been stabbed in the neck and chest. His body was covered with a sheet when it was discovered.  It had been Patacsil herself who called police on the night of the incident. She was taken to hospital for medical treatment and was later arrested.

Earlier during Wednesday’s sitting, the court heard from medical staff who had treated Patacsil on the night of her arrest. A doctor working at Mater Dei Hospital’s emergency department said that the woman had been found to be suffering from lacerations on back of both hands, an abrasion on back of left hand. She also had bruising on the left side of her head and pain on her legs, pelvis, back, and abdomen. No internal injuries were found, following an X-ray, said the doctor, who also told the court that during her examination, Patacsil had told staff that it was her partner who had caused the injuries. This was confirmed by another doctor who treated her that night.

Lawyer Franco Debono, who appeared for the defence along with Ryan Ellul and Tiziana Micallef, asked the doctor whether the injuries suffered by his client were compatible with domestic violence. The doctor confirmed that the injuries could have been caused by a violent incident.   

Debono asked the court to ensure that the prosecution prioritise any civilian witnesses as his client would likely not be given bail until these had testified.

Lawyer George Camilleri, from the Office of the Attorney General said most of the civilian witnesses’ testimony in the case had already been collected in the magisterial inquiry into the murder. The case will continue on 24 September.