Kenneth Gafa, 43 of Marsa, who murdered his former girlfriend Christine Sammut in December 2010 in Mgarr, today was jailed for 35 years. His admission prevented him from undergoing a trial by jury and facing life imprisonment in the event that he was found guilty.

When the case had just been decided by Judge Antonio Mizzi, emotions ran high as relatives of Sammut insulted Gafa, but the accused hardly reacted to their insults. Sammut’s mother was also heard saying: “He killed my daughter”. But things came to a calm soon after and Gafa was escorted out of the courtroom by detention officers and police.

Judge Mizzi asked a relative of Sammut to convey a message to another family member who had tried to approach Gafa that he should consider himself lucky this time since he could have easily sent him to prison for some 35 days with Gafa.

How it all started

Gafa had met Sammut during the course of separation proceedings he was undergoing with his wife in 2009.

Gafa had gone to live with Sammut but it bothered her that Gafa used to go out to drink and return home late in the night. This ongoing problem had led Sammut to end her relationship with Gafa in 2010. She was 40 at the time. But Gafa never accepted the fact that she had ended her relationship with him so he started to monitor her every move to verify whether she was seeing somebody else.

One time he also barged into her apartment to see whether she was with someone else and had also gone as far as asking a service provider to provide him with an itemised bill of her phone calls. Ms Sammut had reported these cases to the Police but most of the time she ended up forgiving him for his actions, withdrawing criminal proceedings against him.

His fear of her potentially seeing another man soon became an obsession and he started to plan her murder. He rented a van from Godwin’s Garage for a day, got hold of a weapon, and waited outside her apartment in Mtarfa. He sent her some 40 insulting phone messages that day, including threatening ones. The last message he sent her read: “You might have to change your arrogant attitude but don’t be surprised I will be the one to change that.”

That day, Sammut left her apartment and drove to a place near Mgarr Farmers Bar since she had an appointment with an Mgarr councillor. Gafa followed her to Mgarr.

As soon as Sammut parked her vehicle, Gafa drove by Sammut’s van and shot her from a short distance while she was sitting inside her car.

Gafa is understood to have called his brother soon after he shot Sammut who convinced him to turn himself in. Sammut died in hospital as a result of the gunshot wounds she sustained to her neck, chest and hands.

Following her murder, Sammut’s brother was tasked with taking over the running of his sister’s business and raising her child.

Gafa admitted after an agreement was made between the lawyers of the office of the Attorney General Philip Galea Farrugia and Nadia Attard, and his lawyer Malcolm Mifsud.

Police Inspector Chris Pullicino prosecuted.