“Christopher Camilleri used to tell us that he would not leave home without a weapon as he had many enemies and that he would hit back at them one day or another,” a witness said yesterday during the trial by jury of Raymond Camilleri.

Mr Camilleri, 43, from Zurrieq, is being accused of killing Christopher Camilleri, 24, from Zejtun, on 6 October 1999 in Zurrieq. He is also charged with illegally carrying a weapon during the commission of a crime.

The witness, Lisa Seisun, 25, said she knew the victim as around 10 years ago they used to frequent the same club in Safi. She said the victim was a boisterous man and used to brag about being invincible.

She once reported him to the police after he used to pester her and once grabbed her by the hand, pushed her to the wall and asked her to accompany him.

After he learnt of the report, he went up to her and told her that he was not afraid of the police and that he was “untouchable”. When she told him that she would tell everything to her father, he told her that he was “not even afraid of God”.

The defendant’s superior at the Public Works Division, Nicholas Aquilina, vouched for Mr Camilleri’s working aptitude. He said that he would be delighted to work with him again, even though Mr Camilleri was currently suspended from work. Mr Aquilina confirmed in court that on the night of the incident, he sent Mr Camilleri home earlier as he looked tired.

The last two defence witnesses testified behind closed doors.

Prior to the above testimonies, Defence Counsel Emanuel Mallia resumed his address to the jury in which he outlined the defence’s theses. He said that his client could not be found guilty of wilful homicide as he acted in self defence. Dr Mallia told the jurors that the accused reacted after the victim caused him serious injuries when he punched him close to a vital organ, the eye. He added that if the jurors did not believe any of the above theses, they should take into account that Mr Camilleri acted under “mental excitement” which made him incapable of reflecting.

Assistant Attorney General Arthur Azzopardi, who was leading the prosecution, in his concluding remarks, told the jurors that they should find Mr Camilleri guilty, as he was lucid throughout the whole incident and showed his intention of committing the murder as he fired twice in the victim’s direction. Moreover, he said, the accused chose not to commit suicide and turned himself over at his wife’s behest, which showed that he was lucid enough to take an advice on what was best. Dr Azzopardi added that the entry wounds on the victim’s body indicated that the shots were fired from behind. Thus, he said, the victim was not attacking the accused as he was not even facing him.

Mr Justice Giannino Caruana Demajo presided over the trial while Dr Emanuel Mallia and Dr Giannella Caruana Curran appeared for the accused. Dr Owen Bonnici appeared parte civile for the victim’s family.

The trial will resume on Monday with Dr Mallia’s counter address.