Lawrence Abina, 30, from Ghana, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Rita Ellul, who was found dead inside her Ghajnsielem home on Saturday.

The 49-year-old mother of three was strangled to death and was found in her bed.

TVM reported that it was Abina who reported the death of his partner to the police. They had been in a relationship for four years. Lovin Malta reported that residents heard an argument between the couple the night before she was found dead.

Abina was arraigned before Magistrate Bridgitte Scicluna in the Gozo law courts on Wednesday afternoon.

According to reports, there were scenes of commotion on the Gozo ferry when relatives of the victims tried to approach the accused, who was under police escort at the time.

The prosecution explained that the police were informed on Saturday afternoon that a woman had been found dead inside her residence in,. Triq Dun Franġisk Mizzi, Għajnsielem.

The case was investigated by the homicide squad, leading to the arrest of the suspect.

The magistrate warned Abina that the charges can carry a life sentence. Abina, who works as a cab driver, pleaded not guilty. His lawyer, Joseph Grech, did not contest the validity of the arrest.

Lawyer Franco Debono appeared for the victim’s family.

The police said in a statement earlier in the day that it was informed of the case by a medical team from the Gozo General Hospital.

The woman was found dead in an apartment in Dun Frangisk Mizzi Street, Ghajnsielem, at around noon last Saturday.

The woman was certified dead on site. She has been named by TVM as Rita Ellul, aged 49, of Iklin.

Rita was a mother of three - Georgina, 31, Jessica, 26, and Glenn, 19. She was also the grandmother of eight-year-old Chanelle, Georgina's daughter.

Her daughter Georgina told Times of Malta that her mother had reported her partner to the police over domestic violence. The case is before the courts.

Georgina Grima said she and her siblings received a call from the Gozo police on Saturday at around 2pm, telling them their mother was found dead in an apartment.

"We didn't know the cause of death at the time, because there were no signs of violence on her body. But we did think of the worst, because they were in court over a report of domestic violence," Georgina explained.

Ellul lived in Iklin but would occasionally spend weekends at her partner's apartment in Gozo. Last weekend was one of those instances.

TVM is reporting that signs of violence were found on the woman.

A magisterial inquiry led by Magistrate Bridgette Sultana was launched, and an autopsy revealed that the woman had not died of natural causes.

The police investigations into the murder led to the arrest of a man, a foreigner, who will be arraigned in the Gozo courts today at 1.30pm.

He will be charged with murder, the police said.