Roderick Cassar has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after admitting to murdering his estranged wife, Bernice Cassar, in what was Malta’s first case charged as willful femicide.
The 42-year-old changed his plea to guilty on Wednesday as part of a plea bargain, days before his jury trial was due to begin. The court also fined him €232.94.
Bernice Cassar, a 40-year-old mother of two, was shot dead at close range while driving to work in Corradino on 22 November 2022. Witnesses said her husband blocked her car, dragged her out, and fired a shotgun at her chest and face. Cassar was later arrested at his Qrendi home after a 17-hour standoff.
In his sentencing, Mr Justice Neville Camilleri condemned Cassar’s actions, saying he had ended the life of a woman who had once shared a home and children with him.
Outside court, Bernice’s sister, Alessia Cilia Portelli, described her as “a courageous woman who took the brave step to leave her husband,” but said the system had failed to protect her.
An inquiry led by retired judge Geoffrey Valenzia found that authorities had ignored multiple domestic violence reports filed by Bernice, including one made the day before her murder. The report concluded that the state system lacked resources and proper risk assessment tools to protect victims of domestic abuse, prompting calls for reform and the adoption of a new triage system.
Prosecutors Anthony Vella and Kaylie Bonett appeared for the Attorney General, while Arthur Azzopardi and Jacob Magri represented Cassar. Lawyers Marita Pace Dimech and Ann Marie Cutajar appeared for the victim’s family.
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