Roderick Cassar vowed ‘revenge’ in Facebook post night before wife’s murder

The man accused of killing his estranged wife Bernice Cassar had written a Facebook post vowing ‘revenge’ the night before his wife’s murder, claiming that she was having an affair with a work colleague.

A court hearing the case against Roderick Cassar was told on Monday that Bernice Cassar’s colleague had reported the post to police the night before the murder.

“Revenge is a must,” Cassar wrote at the end of his post.

According to Inspector Cyril Butters, her work colleague reported the message to police, saying that the allegation of an affair was defamatory against him.

Magistrate Joseph Mifsud, who is presiding over the case, asked Butters why the police did not follow-up on this report.

Butters responded that he advised the colleague to seek advice from a lawyer first.

A female acquaintance of the couple also testified in court on Monday. She recalled being concerned on the day of the murder after Cassar posted a Facebook status addressing his children, saying “Sorry. Till we meet again”.

She knew both Bernice and Roderick as she had been in a long-term relationship with a family relative.

The woman, who name is banned from publication under the order of the court, said that she saw the post online as she woke up that morning.

Immediately, she called Roderick Cassar worried that he was contemplating suicide. But when he answered the phone, he said “I killed her”.

He told the witness that he was grateful for her concern and insisted that he did not want to go to prison. He then said he wanted to call his brother and abruptly cut the call.

Psychiatrist Beppe Micallef Trigona, who was tasked with evaluating the suspect after his arrest, told the court that Roderick Cassar was being treated by a private psychiatrist who he last saw in June. He was also taking medication.

Micallef Trigona said Cassar suffers from claustrophobia, which affected him while he was locked up in a cell after his arrest.

But the psychiatrist said that Cassar satisfied all the criteria to be interrogated and charged. He was certified accordingly on November 23, the morning after the murder.

Later in that afternoon, Superintendent Keith Arnaud called the psychiatrist as the suspect seemed to be hearing voices in his cell.

After an evaluation, the psychiatrist found that Cassar was suffering from stress and a lack of sleep, but was experiencing no hallucinations.

He was certified as fit for interrogation and charges. The psychiatrist added that he did not assess the patient’s mental state at the time the murder was carried out.

Earlier in the sitting, medico-legal expert Mario Scerri told the court that the victim suffered two wounds, both of which were potentially fatal and fired at close range.

He said the first shot seemed to have been fired close to the victim’s neck, likely aimed towards the left of her chin.

Judging from the ballistic wounds, Scerri said that the shot seemed to have been fired upwards at neck-level, indicating that the victim might have been standing when she was shot.

The second shot was fired to the left side of the chest at an acute angle, suggesting that Bernice Cassar was on the ground.

A few centimetres away from the victm’s feet was a small crater in the road surface. Scerri said this was likely the third shot that did not hit the victim.

Inspectors Wayne Camilleri, Shaun Pawney and Paul Camilleri are prosecuting. Lawyers Angele Vella and Darlene Grima are assisting them on behalf of the Office of the Attorney General.

Lawyors Franco Debono, Marion Camilleri and Arthur Azzopardi are defence counsel to the accused.

Lawyers Stefano Filletti, Marita Pace Dimech, Ann Marie Cutajar and Rodianne Sciberras appeared parte civile.