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‘I saw his legs outside the garage’: Man recounts moment he found Carmel Chircop’s body
Maksar gang trial: Jurors hear testimony from the man who discovered Carmel Chircop's body
16 May 2025, 9:29am
Jaelle Borg
Jaelle Borg
3 min read
Lawyer Carmel Chircop, who was killed in 2015 (File photo)
The man who discovered Carmel Chircop’s lifeless body broke down in court on Friday as he described the moment he found the scene of the crime.
Grixti, a neighbour and friend of Carmel Chircop, recounted the morning he discovered the lawyer's body. Taking the stand in the ongoing murder trial, Grixti said he left home at around 6:45am to walk his dog when he was stopped by an acquaintance.
The man told him he had heard four gunshots earlier that morning. Grixti testified that while the man appeared alarmed, he himself did not hear the gunshots.
After returning home and getting ready for work, Grixti headed toward his garage, which was directly next to Chircop’s. The two men used to speak every morning, he said, since their adjacent garages meant that neither could open the door fully without the other doing the same.
“I noticed a pair of legs sticking out from Carmel’s garage. At first, I didn’t understand what I was seeing,” Grixti said, his voice shaking. “When I opened the garage door fully, I saw him lying on the floor, lifeless.”
Crime scene images show Chircop’s body wedged under car
Earlier in the day, the court heard testimony from a police sergeant, who presented a document containing details about the garage complex where the murder took place. The report included a series of photographs taken at the crime scene, which were shown to the jury.
The images revealed Chircop’s body sprawled on the floor, with part of his head stuck under the front bumper of a car and his legs visible from the garage entrance.
Under cross-examination, the sergeant was asked whether the garage had air conditioning or ventilation and whether any of the surrounding units were inhabited. He replied that police focused solely on the specific garage where the body was found and did not inspect nearby spaces.
Following the sergeant’s testimony, the court heard from two witnesses who gave technical evidence on asset recovery and DNA swabs.
Another witness, a former police constable, was also called. He was shown a photograph from the Bidnija site where Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered and confirmed that it was the same place he visited at the time. When asked who instructed him to inspect the vehicle in that case, he responded that the order came from Assistant Commissioner Keith Arnaud.
Jurors are hearing evidence against four men accused of murdering Daphne Caruana Galizia and Carmel Chircop. The accused are Robert and Adrian Agius, known as the "Maksar" brothers, with Jamie Vella and George Degiorgio.
Jamie Vella and Robert Agius are accused of complicity in the murder of Caruana Galizia by supplying the bomb that killed her in October 2017. Adrian Agius is charged with commissioning the murder of Chircop in 2015, while Jamie Vella and George Degiorgio are accused of executing it.
Prosecutors Godwin Cini, Danika Vella and Anthony Vella are representing the Attorney General’s office.
Defence lawyer Nicholas Mifsud is appearing for Adrian Agius, Ishmael Psaila and Amadeus Cachia for Jamie Vella, Alfred Abela and Rene Darmanin representing Robert Agius, and Noel Bianco and Leslie Cuschieri for George Degiorgio.
Jason Azzopardi and Therese Comodini Cachia are assisting the Caruana Galizia family, while Vince Galea is assisting the Chircop family.
Jaelle Borg is a first-year criminology student at the University of Malta, and is a Malta...
No more witnesses today
The court will no longer hear witness testimony today. Later today, jurors will be taken to the crime scenes and other areas of interest for the trial. We will cover these too, but not in a live blog.
Thank you for following today's live blog with us. We will update our website with photos and other reporting from the site visit.
Man found Chircop lying on the floor
After two witnesses testified about asset recovery and DNA swabs, jurors are now hearing testimony from the man who discovered Carmel Chircop's body.
Taking the stand, he explains that on the morning of the murder, he left home at around 6:45am to walk his dog. During that walk, he encountered an acquaintance who abruptly told him he had heard four gunshots earlier that morning. Grixti says that although the man sounded concerned, he himself did not hear any gunshots.
After returning home, he changed and prepared for work, before stepping out once again to head toward his garage, which was directly next to Chircop’s. “We used to speak every morning. Our garages were side by side. If I left mine open, he couldn’t get out, and if he left his open, I couldn’t.”
The man broke into tears as he recalled what he saw next.
“I noticed a pair of legs sticking out from Carmel’s garage. At first, I didn’t understand what I was seeing,” he said. “When I opened the garage door fully, I saw him lying on the floor, lifeless.”
Break till 11:15am
The court is taking a small break. We will continue reporting live when the court is back in session.
Crime scene photos presented in court
The defence team is cross-examining the sergeant. One of the lawyers refers the sergeant to the first picture in the report and is asked to confirm whether there was AC ventilation and whether anyone lived in the garages around. The sergeant says the police only examined the crime scene, meaning the garage where Chircop was found.
The next witness is a former police constable. He recalls the day that he went to Caruana Galizia’s crime scene. The court shows him a photo taken in Bidnija, and he confirms that it is the scene of the crime.
During cross-examination, one of the defence lawyers asked him who instructed him to inspect the car. He says that it was Assistant Commissioner Keith Arnaud.
Chircop's body found sprawled on floor
A police sergeant is testifying first. He is presenting to the court a document with details of the garage complex where Chirchop’s body was discovered. The report includes a series of photographs taken at the crime scene, with a visual account of the condition and location in which the victim was found.
The images show Chirchop’s body sprawled on the floor with part of his head wedged under the front bumper of a car and his legs showing from the entrance of the garage.
Good morning and welcome to today's live blog. MaltaToday court reporter Jaelle Borg is inside the courtroom following proceedings. We will update this space with new information throughout the day.