A gay couple living in Malta were the victims of a grisly murder with no clear motive.
Ivor Maciejowski and Christian Pandolfino were found dead from gunshot wounds in their home in Sliema around 10:30 pm on August 18.
The Times of Malta reports that Pandolfino had gone to dinner with visiting family members while Maciejowski had remained at home. Pandolfino returned early on his own, and by the time his family arrived back at the residence, the two men were already dead.
Surveillance footage reportedly shows three people leaving the crime scene, climbing into a car where a fourth person was waiting to drive them away.
The website LovinMalta reports two people have been charged with the double murder, Daniel Muka and Victor Dragomanski. Police believe a third suspect might have fled the country.
Pandolfino had worked as a doctor in the UK before transitioning into investment banking. He subsequently returned to Malta where he owned an extensive collection of art.
Maciejowski, 30, was a contemporary art dealer who had run an online art gallery until last year. According to reports, the couple had been together for four years.
An LGBTQ community Facebook page for Malta shared the news of the murders and initially, there were suspicions that the incident might have been a hate crime.
But since then, there has been speculation that the murders might have been the result of a bungled burglary as the couple often showed off their art collection on social media.
The comments on the Facebook page reveal the couple, both avid bodybuilders, had been popular in the community and were often seen at MedAsia Playa beach club.
One commenter wrote, “They were so kind to me,” and another responded saying, “Dear Chris and Ivor we shall miss you tremendously.”
One friend described the couple as “beautiful, kind souls” and “amazing people that loved each other very much.”
