Neighbour Joseph Bonnici said that on the day of the shooting, he found Mangion holding his head and visibly distressed. “Mangion told me, ‘I shot him’ and that he is going to jump,” he testified.

He added that Mangion often expressed fear that Mifsud and his partner would break down his door. Bonnici took him inside his home and contacted a mutual friend to reach the accused’s son.

He also said he had seen the couple waiting outside the block up to four times a day. “Everyone feared them… They were drug addicts,” he said.

Another neighbour, Josef Grech, told the court that a week or two before the shooting he had seen Mifsud and a woman waiting for Mangion.

“Salvu was visibly scared,” he said, recalling how Mangion dropped a €20 note in panic while entering the block. Grech testified that Mifsud and the women frequently asked Mangion for money and even sent him to buy “drugs.”

He said Mangion repeatedly told him, “They’re chasing me, they won’t leave me alone… I’ve been filing [police] reports.”

Grech also said he once confronted one of the women himself and told her to leave Mangion alone. Other witnesses described similar behaviour, explaining that Mifsud and the women would be outside from early morning hours and were known to enter the block. Another resident said he grew concerned when they came inside due to his elderly mother’s health.

More neighbours, including Joen Grech, said that Mifsud and the women would show up daily. He described them as “junkies”, recalling how Mifsud had once been healthy but had grown thin and even lost his teeth over the years.

Several residents referenced thefts in the block, including missing shoes, which led them to install CCTV cameras.

Members of the Frendo family also testified. Father Raymond Frendo recalled hearing knocking and shouting, “Salvu, open for me”, before a loud “big bang”. When police and ambulance arrived, he opened the door to find Mifsud bare-chested and pressing a t-shirt to his wound.

His son Cleaven testified that Mifsud collapsed on their landing and said, “Salvu shot me.” He added that they closed the door again because they could not physically assist: “He was bleeding, and we could not help him; we had no gloves.” The family also reported missing shoes in previous months and said residents feared Mifsud and the women.

Neighbour Ċettina Frendo waved at Mangion as she took the stand, calling him “such a nice man.” She echoed the concerns of others, saying the couple caused fear among elderly residents.

“They don’t look like us, they weren’t dressed decently… they were like junkies,” she said, adding that she worried they would target her home.

The case continues in December. Magistrate Marse Ann Farrugia presided. AG lawyer Kevin Valletta prosecuted, assisted by inspectors Stephen Gulia and Keith Rizzo. Lawyers Franco Debono and Adreana Zammit appeared for Mangion, while lawyer Nicholas Mifsud represented the victim’s family.

Photo credits to Tvm News