A 34-year-old Ghanaian man has pleaded not guilty to the femicide of Miriam Azzopardi, whose body was discovered in a field in Marsa on Wednesday morning.
Isaac Asare was arraigned before Magistrate Astrid May Grima on Friday, two days after Azzopardi was found dead beneath trees in a field in Triq is-Salib, Marsa.
The 47-year-old woman’s body was discovered at around 10.20am on Wednesday, although investigators believe it had been there since early on Tuesday night.
An autopsy established that Azzopardi had been strangled by hand.
Asare was arrested in Marsa on Wednesday evening following police investigations, during which officers analysed CCTV footage from the surrounding area to trace his movements.
During Friday’s arraignment, Asare pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him. His defence lawyers did not request bail.
Meanwhile, the prosecution requested a protection order for Azzopardi’s family. Magistrate Grima upheld the request and granted the protection order.
Lawyers Arthur Azzopardi, Franco Debono and Matthew Xuereb are appearing as parte civile in the proceedings.
Leave a Reply