Accused says he doesn’t ‘remember’ knifing partner 60 times

Giving evidence before a Court this afternoon, Inspector Keith Arnaud from the Police Homicide Squad said that 57 year-old Laszlo Nandor Marton had insisted with investigators that he didn't remember anything regarding his former partner's death, who was found murdered with 60 stab wounds.

38 year-old Yvette Gajda was found murdered in a St. Paul's Bay flat on November 27. She was discovered face down in a corridor by the Police. The accused, sat next to the victim, with wounds to his chest.

According to the witness, Marton told the Police that he had an argument with his partner.

Close to both the victim and the accused, the police found a pair of scissors which was elevated from the pool of blood in the corridor.

While the victim had stab wounds all over her body, including to the head, the accused had nine wounds, all to his left side.

When questioned, the accused admitted to have been in a relationship with the victim, and had been living in Malta for a few months. He said that the relationship was good at the beginning, but eventually deteriorated, after Gajda met another man named Ahmad, and wanted to go and live with him. The day before the murder, Gajda had left the falt to live with Ahmad, and Marton slept alone.

Marton and Gajda had a five year-old daughter, but the victim also had another four children from another man.

According to Arnaud, the accused told the police that on the morning of the murder, he had gone to the flat to see what was going on, finding Gajda and all her children, but not Ahmad.

An argument ensued, and Gajda allegedly drew a pair of scissors to scart Marton away. The accused allegedly told the police that he took the scissors away from Gajda, but didn't remember anything else from then on, except waking up later in hospital.

The Inspector said that a witness, identifeied as Arnaud Tahaner who runs a bar beneath the flat, and a neighbour, said that he had heard screaming coming from Gajda's apartment, and later the five year-old girl run to him in hysterics asking for help because her mother was injured.

At one point the witness said that he heard the woman shout: "please don't do this, I have five children."

The child had also accused Marton of having previously hit her and her mother, especially when he returned home in a drunk state.