Gharghur double murder: Doctor describes unsuccessful efforts to save accused's mother

A medical consultant has described the unsuccessful struggle to save the life of a woman who had been stabbed by her own son earlier this month.

Emergency medicine consultant Dr. Jonathan Joslin took the witness stand in the compilation of evidence against Kevin Micallef, who stands accused of the murder of both his mother and elderly aunt.

On 25 July he was called out by ambulance dispatch to assist in the incident. He had arrived with two nurses and a doctor and had been directed to the washroom where he found two elderly women on the floor, partially on top of each other. The scene was bathed in blood. Maria Carmela Fenech was dead. Partially On top of her, face upwards, with multiple neck stab wounds was the second victim, Antonia Micallef. Her breathing was shallow, she was pallid and sweating profusely. bleeding heavily. Her lungs were punctured, the left one had collapsed.

“We applied compression to the wounds. She was in shock. We inserted an IV line.” Time was of the essence and she was rushed to hospital in an ambulance. Oxygen was given, as she had very low blood pressure. She regained consciousness in the ambulance and was asked who had done this to her. “Kevin,” she replied before her blood pressure fell again. She died within the hour.

Inspector Kurt Zahra told the court that the accused had been questioned and had explained that his relationship with the women was not good. He claimed that they would interfere in his relationships and had been putting substances in his coffee to make him tired over the past few days. When he heard the women talking and one of them say “do you think he noticed?”, he took it to mean that his suspicions were correct.

“Kevin said that he had stabbed his aunt first. He turned and found his mother crying and stabbed her too. He had said it would have been better if he had turned the knife on himself.” The accused betrayed no emotion as he sat in the dock today.

A number of other police officers also testified, telling a similar version of events. They described how they had been dispatched to the scene after Micallef himself had called the police to say that he had killed two people. The accused was still wearing bloodstained clothes and had hands covered in blood when he opened the door, they said. 

After he was arrested, Kevin Micallef was taken to the Naxxar police station to be photographed and then to Mount Carmel Hospital where he was held for observation. He was later certified as fit for interrogation but it was recommended that he be held at the Forensic Unit at Mount Carmel.  Inspector Elton Taliana told the court that the man's coffee had been taken for testing by an expert.

Asked by the defence, the inspector said that his mother had prescription antidepressants. The accused told the police that he had no history of any illness.

The case continues on August 13.

Inspectors Kurt Zahra and Elton Taliana are prosecuting. Lawyer Francois Dalli is defence counsel.

Magistrate Monica Vella is presiding.