Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1532501
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 19 FEBRUARY 2025 NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 After pleading guilty in Feb- ruary last year, Kristiansen was sentenced to 40 years in prison through a plea deal. Recounting his background, he said he moved to Malta in 2017 in search of work. About 10 days before the murder, he met Muka through friends, though he had been acquainted with Drago- manski for a longer period. Muka had proposed the idea of robbing a house that supposedly contained a fair amount of gold. Kristiansen said that Muka be- gan monitoring the house, stud- ying the couple's daily routine, and concluded that it was usual- ly empty in the evenings. Kristiansen told the court he agreed to the plan but insisted that no one should be present in the house, as he wanted no harm to come to anyone. He explained that the day be- fore the crime, while driving around, they met Dragomanski and recruited him. The three of them decided to carry out the burglary the next evening. Before heading to the scene, they changed the number plates on their car, and the witness claimed that he did not know where the new plates came from as Muka had planned the rob- bery. Kristiansien also insisted that he was unaware the vehicle they used had been stolen, as it had been provided by Muka. On the night of the burglary, Muka allegedly approached the house first, carrying a small bag he always had with him. Kris- tiansen followed at a distance and heard the doorbell ring. A man answered the door, and Muka spoke to him. Initially, the conversation seemed normal, but after the door shut, voices were raised. Seconds later, gun- shots rang out. He moved closer and rang the doorbell. Muka opened the door, holding a pistol. Inside, a man lay on the floor, making a "snoring" noise. Then, Kristiansen saw Muka fire another shot. Panicked, he ran back to the car, where Dragomanski was waiting outside. Dragomanski asked, "Did someone fire a gun?" Despite their shock, they went back inside to steal the valuables they had originally planned to take. Meanwhile, one of the victims lay motionless in a pool of blood. Muka emerged from another room, holding jewellery in one hand and a pistol in the other. He handed the stolen items to Kristiansen, who placed them into a bag before they all fled. As they drove away, Kristiansen demanded to know why Muka had fired the shots and why he had been carrying a weapon. Muka simply replied, "I had to." The group took a taxi to Drag- omanski's home, which was near Kristiansen's residence. Once there, they cleaned the stolen gold to eliminate any trac- es of DNA and discussed how to sell it. Muka claimed he had a buyer. Kristiansen said that both he and Dragomanski were un- settled by the situation. After about an hour, Kris- tiansen left. Later, he returned to Dragomanski's home to check if the gold had been sold, but Dragomanski wasn't there. He never spoke to Muka again. At the time, Kristiansen said he was struggling with depression and a toxic relationship. He later learned from news reports that Muka had been ar- rested. Kristiansen fled to Spain, where he was eventually apprehended and extradited to Malta. Defence lawyer Josette Sultana represented Muka, while lawyer Alex Scerri Herrera defended Dragomanski. Lawyer Joe Giglio appeared as parte civile. Daniel Muka posing with a tiger Muka proposed robbing a house with fair amount of gold, witness says Sliema double murder CARDIOVASCULAR disease was once again the leading cause of death in Malta during 2023. Information tabled in parliament by health minister Jo Etienne Abela in re- sponse to PN MP Mark Anthony Sam- mut breaks down the causes of death of the 4,033 people who died in 2023. According to the data, 1,168 people died due to cardiovascular-related in- cidents, representing 28% of the year's deaths. The vast majority of those who died due to cardiovascular causes were over 65 years old. The singular leading cause of death was heart attacks or chronic conditions fol- lowing a heart attack, which claimed the lives of 560 people. The data shows that 224 people died after suffering a stroke or chronic condition following a stroke. Meanwhile, 384 people died due to oth- er forms of heart disease. The information tabled shows that can- cer claimed the lives of 985 people, as lung cancer seems to be the most preva- lent fatal cancer in 2023. Another 333 people died due to de- mentia. Respiratory infections killed 304 peo- ple, while other respiratory diseases killed 240 individuals. The data also shows that one mother died due to birthing-related complica- tions before, during or after giving birth. Meanwhile, 13 babies died during child- birth, two babies died due to congenital problems, and another baby died from a neurological disease. In 2023, Covid-19 claimed the lives of 53 people, with 51 of them being over 65 years of age. Drug abuse killed 18 people, while 99 others died due to accidents such as falling or drowning. The majority of ac- cident-related deaths (82) were over 65 years old. The information does not include workplace deaths. Heart disease was Malta's leading cause of death once again in 2023