David Zerafa, 39, of Nadur, who is standing trial by jury for the murder of lawyer Michael Grech in 2004, had planned to kill the victim’s wife and his accomplice.

The accused had spoken to Rodney Vella, who was receiving treatment for a drug abuse problem at St Michael’s Ward, St Luke’s Hospital, and told him that together with an accomplice, he had killed Michael Grech. He next planned to kill Mr Grech’s wife and the accomplice, whom he thought would reveal his name to the police.

Taking the witness stand Vella pointed out the accused had also said he had an axe with which he planned to kill Mrs Grech.

Rodney Vella got to know the accused at St Luke’s Hospital after he was admitted for a rehabilitation programme as part of a jail sentence.

During his first night there, Zerafa had approached him and they started talking over coffee. Vella had asked Zerafa why he was in jail and he had replied that he had threatened some police officers during a festa. This had not been the first time he had been arrested and on another occasion he had been held for the murder of a lawyer, he went on.

In court Vella continued that the next day, they continued to discuss the lawyer and how the accused thought his wife was seeing him because he had been representing her in separation proceedings.

On one occasion, at around 10pm, Vella said that the accused and another person waited for Michael Grech in a block of apartments and they beat him up with a baseball bat. The lawyers had told one of his aggressors he had recognised him and one told the other to shoot him.

Vella noted that Zerafa had not told him who fired the gun but said he believed they had missed him so they ran after him and beat him up again with the bat. They then ran away because they thought two people had seen them.

Vella continued that on another occasion, David Zerafa said he had gone to change at a room in Ramla l- Hamra after what he had done because his clothes were stained with blood.  This room had no electricity.

He had thought someone was following them. The next day, he had gone back to the room and found blood smears.

Zerafa even told Vella that he had dedicated a song for her on Smash Radio and had mentioned the lawyer.

The witness explained that he had told everything to the police when they asked him about Zerafa and he wanted to have a clean conscience.

When a confrontation between the Vella and Zerafa took place, Zerafa first said that Vella was telling lies then started saying he had been bluffing.

Vella said he had told him: “Bluff if you have some Lm200,000 and a couple of German women as you say you have”.

The trial, now in its third day, continues.