Jurors were presented with graphic photographs taken during the autopsy of Carmel Chircop, as court medical expert Mario Scerri gave detailed testimony on the nature and trajectory of the gunshot wounds that led to the victim's death.

The trial by jury against the four men accused of charges over the murders of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and lawyer Carmel Chircop is continuing before Madam Justice Edwina Grima.

The accused are Robert and Adrian Agius, known as the 'Tal-Maksar' brothers, Jamie Vella and George Degiorgio.

Vella and Robert Agius are accused of complicity in the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia by supplying the bomb that killed her in October 2017. Adrian Agius is charged with commissioning the murder of lawyer Carmel Chircop in 2015. Jamie Vella and George Degiorgio are accused with executing Chircop's murder  They all deny the charges.

The images shown to the jury began with a view of the crime scene-a garage in Birkirkara - where Chircop's lifeless body was found near a Mercedes vehicle. One photograph showed Chircop lying face-up in a pool of blood, with two gunshot wounds clearly visible: one to the chest and another on the right side of the abdomen. His left arm was bent awkwardly backward, still clutching a briefcase. A bracelet and mobile phone lay beside him. His legs extended out of the garage, and his back, in one particularly gruesome image, appeared soaked in blood.

Inside the courtroom, Scerri walked the jury through each photo taken at the morgue, explaining the injuries visible on the body. The first wound examined was identified as an exit wound-relatively clean, suggesting that the bullet had entered the body, then rebounded and exited. A second wound, significantly larger, was described as an entry wound, located between the chest and stomach. This, Scerri explained, would have caused the most internal damage, given its proximity to vital organs.

Additional wounds and lesions were documented on the right arm, the back just below the neck, and the buttocks. The jurors were also shown photos taken during the dissection, offering a deeper view into the bullet paths and internal trauma.

Scerri confirmed that Chircop had been struck by four bullets in total. There were four entry points and two exit points, indicating that two of the bullets remained lodged inside the body-one in the arm and one in the chest.

One of the bullets, Scerri explained, entered through the back and exited through the neck. Another penetrated the stomach but traveled within the body, creating internal damage before exiting from a different area. "The bullet causes great shockwaves; it destroys and deflects where it hits. It impacts any muscles or tissues in its path, and its final destination is often unpredictable," Scerri said, noting this explained the irregular entry and exit wounds seen on Chircop's body.

The court session continued with the medical expert emphasising the severity of the trauma and the chaotic paths the bullets took once inside the body, painting a grim picture of the fatal shooting.

Another witness, who was tasked by the court to carry out a valuation of the cars that had been found with the accused, said that for Jamie Vella, the valuation of the four cars--a Mercedes, Volvo, Citroen and BMW-which had been found in his possession was between €84,000 and €90,000. The witness said that for Adrian Agius, the car found in his possession had a value of €11,000.

Another witness, who was from the Merchant Shipping Directorate said that Alfred Degiorgio had declared himself the owner of a boat called 'Maya', which was seized during a Marsa raid.

Prosecutors Godwin Cini, Danika Vella and Anthony Vella are representing the Attorney General's office.

Defence lawyer Nicholas Mifsud is appearing for Adrian Agius, Ishmael Psaila and Amadeus Cachia for Jamie Vella, Alfred Abela and Rene Darmanin representing Robert Agius, and Noel Bianco and Leslie Cuschieri for George Degiorgio.

Jason Azzopardi and Therese Comodini Cachia are assisting the Caruana Galizia family, while Vince Galea is assisting the Chircop family.