1 week Ago By Jessica Arena
A man found chopped up inside a suitcase was already dead when his body was cut into pieces, the police believe. That conclusion means police will not be pressing homicide charges against at this stage. Instead, the 43-year-old will face charges of promoting a criminal organiation, trafficking drugs, criminal association, money laundering, hiding a body and trying to cover up a crime.
The suspect, a Colombian national, is to be arraigned in court at 9.15am on Saturday. In a press conference held on Saturday morning, police superintendent and lead investigator Keith Arnaud said the victim was already dead when his hands and feet were cut off.
There were no external signs of violence, he added. An autopsy carried out earlier this week concluded that the victim most likely died of asphyxiation. But it was not conclusive, Arnaud noted.
While police would not be filing murder charges at this stage, that could change if new evidence came to light. The victim, who is also believed to be a Colombian national, has not yet been conclusively identified though police are working on a number of leads. Investigators are also working to establish how the victim and prime suspect were connected, and why 101 capsules of cocaine were not extracted before the body was dumped.
“It’s still a bit early, but we have a few theories,” Arnaud told journalists when asked that question. Arnaud provided some further detail about the gruesome discovery, made on Monday afternoon in Gżira. The suitcase was first flagged to authorities by people on a boat, who saw it bobbing at sea.
Inside, authorities found the remains of a man who was not wearing any clothes save for an adult nappy. His hands and feet were cut off and stuffed into plastic bags. Police tracked down the suspect and the shop where he is believed to have bought the axe and suitcase used to dispose of the body.
When they moved in to arrest him, they found him with a Portuguese man. There were many items related to drug trafficking in the property and the Portuguese man is to face drug-related criminal charges. Police also searched another property in Msida, where they believe the body was moved from.
Officers found the axe in that property, Arnaud added. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use as our marketing platform.
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