Kurt Grech and his father, Joseph Grech, have been found guilty of the murder of 21-year-old Brandon Pace, who was fatally stabbed outside his apartment on Giovanni Barbara Street, Ħamrun, in April 2017.
The jury reached its verdict after nearly eight hours of deliberation on Monday. Six jurors found the accused guilty, while three voted not guilty.
The father and son duo, hailing from Pietà, were convicted of wilful homicide, unlawful possession of knives, breaching public peace, and issuing threats against the victim’s mother, Lisa Pace, and his partner, Jessica Bilocca.
Both Kurt Grech, 31, known as "in-Nemes," and Joseph Grech, 61, will be sentenced in the coming days.
The murder was the culmination of a long-standing feud between the Grech family and Brandon Pace, largely fueled by an ongoing dispute concerning Kurt Grech’s son. Grech’s former partner had begun a relationship with Pace, leading to tensions that eventually erupted into violence.
Kurt Grech had told police he believed Pace was mistreating his young son.
On the night of the murder, an argument between the two families escalated outside Pace’s residence. Witnesses reported insults exchanged and tiles hurled from a balcony before violence broke out.
Pace reportedly ran out of his apartment, barefoot and bare-chested, to confront the Grechs. A physical altercation ensued involving Pace, the Grechs, and Bilocca. Both Pace and Kurt Grech were armed with knives. Witnesses testified that they saw Pace collapse to the ground as Kurt Grech jumped on him.
Lisa Pace, the victim’s mother testified that she saw Joseph Grech stab her son in the back and screamed, “They killed him, they killed him!” She recalled Joseph Grech replying coldly, “Let him die.”
Kurt Grech admitted to police that he had stabbed Pace but claimed it was in self-defense after being attacked first.
The jury unanimously convicted both men of unlawful possession of knives, with an additional unanimous guilty verdict for Kurt Grech for breaching public peace.
The defense argued that Kurt Grech had taken two knives with him that evening not with the intent to kill, but out of fear for his safety, given Pace’s alleged violent tendencies. Defense lawyer Edward Gatt painted Grech as a desperate father trying to protect his son from harmful influences.
A key point of contention was whether Pace had been armed at the time of the attack. His sister insisted he was unarmed when he rushed downstairs but later admitted to having seen a knife in his hand during the altercation.
The prosecution, led by lawyers Kevin Valletta and Kaylie Bonett from the Attorney General’s office, argued that the attack was premeditated and that the Grechs had acted with deadly intent. Lawyers Rachel Tua and Ishmael Psaila represented the victim’s family, while the defense team included Roberto Montalto, Katheleen Grima, and Edward Gatt.