BIRKIRKARA MURDER
Stabbing incident took place after failed drug deal, court hears
Etienne Bartolo, the 36-year-old from Birkirkara accused of killing Roderick Grech, allegedly stabbed the victim after a drug deal went wrong, a court was told yesterday.
Two CID officers who testified yesterday morning said that the victim turned aggressive in a drug deal. The Court was told that Mr Bartolo and Mr Grech met in the latter’s car on Tumas Fenech Street, in Birkirkara, on 29 March. Mr Grech supplied the accused with drugs regularly, but the accused, on this occasion, did not have the money.
The court heard that Mr Bartolo grew afraid of Mr Grech after the latter punched him in the arm. The accused allegedly took out a penknife and stabbed Mr Grech.
The CID officers argued that on 30 March, they managed to get a hold of the accused over the phone, and told him to go to the Birkirkara police station. The accused’s residence was searched, and a slipper with blood on it was found. The accused was arrested at the police station, and was taken to the police HQ in Floriana. He allegedly refused legal assistance, and released a statement admitting to stabbing the victim after the latter became aggressive as the accused did not have the funds to pay for the drugs.
Mr Bartolo, they said, told the police he threw out the knife in a garbage bag in the area, however the knife was never recovered.
The clothes he wore on the night were taken for forensic tests.