Friday started with the anticipation of a long and arduous trial by jury, involving two men who had been accused of murdering journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

By the end of it, the two men had changed their plea to guilty and were sentenced to a combined 80 years in prison.

Later that evening, the Foundation that was created in Caruana Galizia’s name had been awarded the European Citizens Prize.

All this, coincidentally or not, happened at the start of a weekend that is to see the commemoration for the journalist on the fifth anniversary of her assassination.

Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed in a car bomb on 16 October 2017. Since then, it has been a strenuous search for justice.

Before Friday’s drama, another person, Vincent Muscat, had admitted to his involvement in the crime and had been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

When the trial by jury started on Friday, legal experts were forecasting the proceedings to last between three to four weeks.

But it all ended suddenly. When, at 3pm, the trial did not resume and the delay moved from minutes to hours, it became clear that something had changed. And what eventually did was the change of plea – from not guilty to guilty – of the two accused.

Alfred and George Degiorgio were later sentenced to 40 years in prison each by Judge Edwina Grima.

In his first comments to the media after the judgment, Matthew Caruana Galizia, one of Daphne’s sons, told reporters: “I’m relieved that they have been convicted and sentenced. Now it’s about the remaining cases,” he said, referring to prosecution of other defendants.

But he said the five years it took to reach this stage of justice for his mother was “far too long.”

Prime Minister Robert Abela was among the first to react to the judgment, saying the conviction of two men in connection with the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was a "step forward… to deliver justice in a case that represents a dark chapter in Malta’s history," he said.

The Prime Minister reiterated the government’s commitment to deliver full justice to the Caruana Galizia family, and to the Maltese people.

But the day had not ended yet.

Soon after the trial was brought to a close, the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation was formally awarded this year's European Parliament's Citizen's Prize award for Malta.

"Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed because she was not afraid to expose corruption,” EP president Roberta Metsola said. “We want those responsible for this criminal act, those who allowed it all to be carried out, and those who tried to cover it up, to face justice. We need to have European and national systems to prevent what happened to Daphne from ever happening again, in Malta or anywhere else."

The Director of the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation Matthew Caruana Galizia, who received the Prize on behalf of the Foundation, paid tribute to all its supporters.

“We’ll get justice for my mother and her investigations thanks to the efforts of thousands of people and organisations who protest, support this campaign and take action. We accept this prize on behalf of all of you,” Caruana Galizia said.

The story is not finished. There are others awaiting their fate in court proceedings, and the police continue their investigations into the possible involvement of others.

In the meantime, today there will be a series of activities commemorating the assassination.

At 9.30 am, there will be mass at Bidnija Church celebrated by Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna.

At 3pm there will be a silent meeting in memory of the slain journalist, at the explosion site in Triq il-Bidnija, Mosta.

At 6.30pm there will be a demonstration calling for justice in Republic Street, Valletta, which will start in front of the Parliament building.

At 7.30pm there will be a vigil in front of the law courts.