Updated | Murder jury: Accused's laptop used to view websites about murder cases

The jury trying a Libyan man, accused of murdering his estranged wife, has been told that his internet browsing history included websites dealing with murder cases.

Nizar El-Gadi, 36, is on trial for the murder of his former wife, lawyer Margaret Mifsud during the night between 18 and 19 April, 2012. The lawyer’s body was discovered in her car in Bahar ic-Caghaq.

El Gadi had told police that although the computer was his, he could not rule out that the victim had used it as she would have had an interest in murder cases because of the nature of her work.

The prosecution in the trial by jury of Nizar el Gadi continued this afternoon with lead investigator, police Inspector Keith Arnaud and prosecuting lawyer Giannella Busuttil reading through the several contradictory versions of events and the convoluted explanations for the contradictions which the accused had released to police during questioning.

El-Gadi denied browsing the articles in question, telling police that his wife would watch TV shows, hosted by a lawyer, which would deal with homicide and abuse cases. Arnaud pointed out that these were TV shows not online articles on murder cases.

Police had asked the accused how his ex-wife could gain access to his computer when a password was required to access it. El-Gadi had replied that the victim’s cousin would help her to access the computer and at a point he had resorted to carrying it around with him everywhere we went, in order to avoid this.

The jury was told that data retrieved from the victim’s computer showed that she had sent an email, expressing her frustration with El-Gadi, to a friend. She had been holding the relationship, which she described as a “tragedy”, together for the sake of the children, it read.

Police confronted El-Gadi with the emails, asking him why he tried to paint a picture of domestic bliss when their relationship had in fact been in crisis. El-Gadi said he could not understand why she had written the e-mail.

Earlier this morning, the jury heard how the accused had apparently taken steps to pre-empt police investigations, including sending the victim a number of loving SMSes the morning after her murder.

The prosecution in the trial by jury of Nizar el Gadi continued reading the fifth statement which the accused had released to the police.

Inspector Keith Arnaud explained that the accused turned down the option of legal assistance during interrogation. El Gadi had released several statements, but did not sign them.

He continued to go to work after his ex-wife had not returned home, the inspector said. “He did nothing except send a couple of SMSes to her in the morning.” The accused had also run away when the police had come looking for him, Arnaud added. The prosecution is positing that the SMSes were merely a ruse intended to deflect suspicion away from him in the inevitable investigation into the murder.

El Gadi had explained to police that he had only sent the SMSes to the victim expressing concern at her non-replies, instead of making an effort to find her, because it had been his first day in a new job. He had told police that he thought the victim “might have been sleeping with someone else” but as he could not be certain, he had not confronted her about it.

But this and his claimed devotion to the victim contrasted with his other claim that he had been meeting a Russian woman, the inspector pointed out.

The inspector had directly asked the accused whether he had killed his ex-wife, using the “method which leaves no trace” which he had boasted about to her, he had denied it, saying that he wasn’t even there at the time.

Inspector Keith Arnaud and prosecuting lawyer Giannella Busuttil are reading through the several contradictory versions of events and the convoluted explanations for the contradictions which the accused had given to police during questioning.

Judge Antonio Mizzi is presiding over the trial. Assistant Attorney General Philip Galea Farrugia and lawyer Giannella Busutil from the office of the Attorney General are prosecuting. Lawyer Martin Testaferata Moroni Viani is defending the accused, whilst lawyer Kathleen Grima and Arthur Azzopardi are appearing as parte civile for the victim’s family.