The man who is accused of murdering a Turkish woman in Gzira last month lived in abject squalor, with rats and filth found in his Lija residence which a police officer testifying in court said was “frightening”.
The compilation of evidence against Jeremie Camilleri continued before Magistrate Rachel Montebello on Thursday, with the court ruling there was enough prima facie evidence for the accused to be indicted.
33-year-old Jeremie Camilleri stands accused of murdering Pelin Kaya last month. Camilleri is alleged to have killed the Turkish woman after driving his car headlong into her and crashing the vehicle into a fast food restaurant in Gżira. He had to be tasered by police officers before being arrested after he got aggressive with them and bystanders.
Members of the Pelin family were present for the sitting, a black and white photograph of the victim pinned to their lapels. Five prison guards stood behind Camilleri, separating him from the victim's relatives and friends.
In court on Thursday, a police sergeant who was present for a search of the accused’s home described the squalid conditions in which the residence was found. Camilleri's house was in a state of “extreme neglect”, said the witness, describing the state of the apartment as "frightening." He rtestified that he saw rats running around and excrement smeared on the floor, the toilet overflowing. "I would not want to live there," he told the court.
The sergeant had also spoken to eyewitnesses at the scene of the fatal crash, in Msida Road, Gzira. They described the aftermath of the BMW X6 being driven by the accused, ploughing into the facade of the Gzira KFC outlet.
Several bystanders had told the sergeant that they had seen Camilleri pelting the victim’s body with stone debris from the crash. One recalled hearing the accused shouting "1 2 3, viva l Algerie".
Another witness had seen Camilleri attack the driver of a Peugeot vehicle and anyone else in his way. He also pelted the victim with stones. People at the KFC entrance tried to stop him but he persisted, the court was told.
A pastizzeria employee had told the officer that he had been seated outside the shop when he spotted the car heading in the direction of KFC, where it crashed. The driver got out and made his way towards the employee, striking him on the neck and knocking him over. As he lay on the ground, the man kicked him on the leg. The bystander had been able to pull down the shutter of the outlet where he works with the help of another person.
The police had created a timeline of Camilleri’s movements on the night of the murder using CCTV footage from several places along the route.
It took just seven minutes for Camilleri to travel from his Lija residence to Gzira where the fatal incident took place.
The accused had left home at around 12.54pm, heading through Balzan, then Dun Karm Psaila Street, Birkirkara, then on to Gzira.
Other footage show the victim, Pelin Kaya, walking along the pavement. Then the BMW appears, heading towards the seafront.
Ten photos show the car closing in, until it hits the victim. The body is flung in the air.
The car smashes into Paul and Rocco, then KFC. Camilleri is seen leaving his car, crossing to the other side and attacks people.
A speed camera on the route had captured the BMW driven by Camilleri travelling at 75.8km/hr.