Court hears how housekeeper was 'shocked' to find Erin Tanti in Zahra residence

The Zahra family’s housekeeper recalled being shocked to find Erin Tanti in the kitchen on the morning of 17 March last year, as she was unaware he was in the house at all.

The housekeeper was testifying in the case of Erin Tanti, who is charged with the wilful homicide of 15-year-old Lisa Marie Zahra and with encouraging her suicide on 19 March 2014.

She recalled how on the morning of 17 March, Lisa woke up to go to school and was standing in the kitchen. To her surprise, Erin was also there. He was wearing office attire and only said “good morning”. Lisa was wearing her school uniform.

The house keeper said that she did not see Tanti the night before. “I was shocked to see him because I did not know that there was someone else in the house apart from Lisa”. At the time, Lisa Marie’s father Tony Zahra was abroad.

She explained that Mark, who works with Tony Zahra, told her to inform him if she knew that someone else was in the house. She informed his that she saw Lisa with a friend of hers.

Later that day, Mark came to the house and together with the housekeeper, reviewed footage from the CCTV cameras. They saw Tanti leaving the house. She never saw him coming in.

Lisa came home after school and the housekeeper prepared some food. On the phone, Tony Zahra spoke to the maid and told her to take Lisa’s phone and not to let her leave.

That same day, Mark called to see where Lisa was. He later came by the house to speak to Lisa while the maid was still in the kitchen.

On 18 March, Lucy Giordimaina, mother of Tony Zahra’s partner, told the housekeeper to go to sleep as she will be taking care of Lisa. She normally slept in the attic room which, according to the witness, was a bit far from Lisa’s room but in the same corridor.

When the housekeeper woke up, she went to check on Lisa only to find that she was not in her room. She then told Lisa’s brother, Nicholas, that Lisa was not in her room. They then searched the house for her. The window in Lisa’s bedroom was open.

In her room, the housekeeper found a written letter, which said “for you dad”. She did not read it, only noting that it was a long letter.

Case continues on 18 December.