Self-confessed Sliema robber recounts details of botched jewel robbery, double murder

One of the men behind a botched robbery that resulted in a double murder in Sliema testified in court on Tuesday, recounting how what was meant to be a burglary quickly spiralled out of control.  

Jesper Kristiansen was testifying in front of magistrate Nadine Lia in the case against Daniel Muka and Viktor Dragomanski. Together with Kristiansen, they had been charged with the killings of Christian Pandolfino and Ivor Maciejowski. 

The couple were fatally shot inside their home in Sliema, on 18 August 2020.  

After pleading guilty in February last year, Kristiansen was sentenced to 40 years in prison through a plea deal. 

Recounting his background, he said he moved to Malta in 2017 in search of work. About 10 days before the murder, he met Muka through friends, though he had been acquainted with Dragomanski for a longer period.

Muka had proposed the idea of robbing a house that supposedly contained a fair amount of gold.

Kristiansen said that Muka began monitoring the house, studying the couple’s daily routine, and concluded that it was usually empty in the evenings.

Kristiansen told the court he agreed to the plan but insisted that no one should be present in the house, as he wanted no harm to come to anyone.

He explained that the day before the crime, while driving around, they met Dragomanski and recruited him. The three of them decided to carry out the burglary the next evening.

Before heading to the scene, they changed the number plates on their car, as the witness claimed that he did not know where the new plates came from as Muka had planned the robbery.

Kristiansien also insisted that he was unaware the vehicle they used had been stolen, as it had been provided by Muka.

On the night of the burglary, Muka allegedly approached the house first, carrying a small bag he always had with him. Kristiansen followed at a distance and heard the doorbell ring.

A man answered the door, and Muka spoke to him. Initially, the conversation seemed normal, but after the door shut, voices were raised. Seconds later, gunshots rang out.

He moved closer and rang the doorbell. Muka opened the door, holding a pistol.

Inside, a man lay on the floor, making a “snoring” noise.

Then, Kristiansen saw Muka fire another shot.

Panicked, he ran back to the car, where Dragomanski was waiting outside.

Dragomanski asked, “Did someone fire a gun?”

Despite their shock, they went back inside to steal the valuables they had originally planned to take.

Meanwhile, one of the victims lay motionless in a pool of blood.

Muka emerged from another room, holding jewellery in one hand and a pistol in the other. He handed the stolen items to Kristiansen, who placed them into a bag before they all fled.

As they drove away, Kristiansen demanded to know why Muka had fired the shots and why he had been carrying a weapon.

Muka simply replied, “I had to.”

The group took a taxi to Dragomanski’s home, which was near Kristiansen’s residence.

Once there, they cleaned the stolen gold to eliminate any traces of DNA and discussed how to sell it. Muka claimed he had a buyer. Kristiansen said that both he and Dragomanski were unsettled by the situation.

After about an hour, Kristiansen left. Later, he returned to Dragomanski’s home to check if the gold had been sold, but Dragomanski wasn’t there. He never spoke to Muka again.

At the time, Kristiansen said he was struggling with depression and a toxic relationship.

He later learned from news reports that Muka had been arrested.

Kristiansen fled to Spain, where he was eventually apprehended and extradited to Malta.

Defence lawyer Josette Sultana represented Muka, while lawyer Alex Scerri Herrera defended Dragomanski.

Lawyer Joe Giglio appeared as parte civile.