A second autopsy performed on the body of Mario Camilleri, known as 'l-Imniehru,' has confirmed that the man died from a heart attack, and not of gunshot wounds.
Mr Camilleri, 51, was found dead in a field in Qajjenza, limits of Birzebbugia, in 2013. His son, 21-year-old Mario Jr, was also found buried in the same field. He had been hit repeatedly in the head with a tile, stabbed several times and shot twice.
Two men, George Galea, 41 of St Julians, and Jason Galea, 39 of Birzebbugia, who is Mr Camilleri's brother in law, are charged with the double-murder.
The prosecution had initially told the court that the accused admitted to shooting Mr Camilleri Sr in the head through the passenger window of a van. However, medical experts had insisted that the bullet which hit Mr Camilleri had probably only grazed his head and was not the actual cause of death. They had suggested instead that the man died from a heart attack.
Neurosurgeon Anthony Zrinzo and Forensic Expert Mario Scerri, testifying in the compilation of evidence against Jason Galea and George Galea, told a court this week that Mario Camilleri senior did not die of gunshot wounds.
They said the holes found in the skull of the father were possibly medical "burr holes" from a past medical procedure, so much so that they had already begun to heal. No entry holes were found in the skin but the experts found "mature scar tissue."
Two autopsies were performed on Mr Camilleri, the second after he was exhumed. The experts who carried out the first procedure, Dr Marie Therese Camilleri and Dr Ali Safraz, had concluded that the cause of death was a blood clot in the man's coronary artery.
Dr Camilleri yesterday told the court that the second autopsy, carried out by pathologist Bridget Ellul, had reached the same conclusion. The pathologist has, however, not yet testified in the case.
Forensic expert Mario Scerri said Mario CamilleriSr's medical records showed that he had a history of chest pain and high blood pressure. He identified the blood clot as the cause of death. The son died from blood loss from multiple wounds.
Inspectors Chris Pullicino, Fabian Fleri, Michael Mallia and Louise Calleja are prosecuting. Lawyer Giannella de Marco is appearing for George Galea while Dr Joseph Giglio is defending Jason Galea.