Who was John Englezu, the feared underworld killed in Malta. Images from the crime scene

In 2015, Rivas entered a house where he assaulted and kidnapped a couple from Năvodari. 4 accomplices helped him. In the end, they stole 100 thousand euros. Now, he was killed on the street after a fight with three Romanians. From the first information, he would have been stabbed in the chest by one of them.

The images were captured shortly after the 44-year-old man, Joseph Rivas, a known underworld with Romanian-British citizenship, was stabbed in the heart by a fellow countryman. There were traces of blood all over the street, on a white van, on a bench and on the sidewalk next to the patisserie. Everything would have started from a fight with three Romanians in front of a teahouse in a well-known square in Saint Julien, a city on the coast of Malta. The community is horrified.

Andrea Rossito, TV Malta reporter: “What’s shocking, basically, is that the crime happened on a street where there are usually a lot of people, doing their shopping, it’s not a safe place on the island.”

The witnesses, shocked by the robbery that happened before their eyes, called the police and the ambulance. The attackers fled the scene.

Brandon Pisani, police spokesman: “There is currently an ongoing investigation into what is believed to be a homicide in San Gijljan. We were informed that there was an argument in Triq Ross between several people. The fight escalated where a sharp weapon and probably a knife was used a little above this road, it continued in the middle of the road and the victim arrived injured there, where he was given first aid”.

Joseph Rivas was transported by ambulance to the hospital, but did not survive due to serious injuries. The police immediately started looking for the three Romanians involved in the scandal. Contacted by ProTv News, they confirmed that:

“Two men, 35 and 32 years old, of Romanian nationality, were sent to court and accused of murder. They have pleaded not guilty and are being held in custody. A third man is expected to be charged in court in the coming hours.”

The two Romanian brothers are defended by two Maltese lawyers. One of them told Pro TV News that he cannot answer questions because he does not have the consent of his clients.

The murdered man, Joseph Rivas, was known as one of the most feared underlings in Constanța. In 2008, he was involved in a manslaughter case in London. Rivas escaped from England the same year and moved to Constanța. In the seaside town he beat a colleague, who left him crippled and who, two years later, died. Rivas was then picked up by special forces, arrested and sentenced to three years in prison. Until the final sentence was given, he disappeared and remained in hiding. However, he was caught again in 2013 and sent behind bars, from where he was released after two years for good behavior. Then Rivas got into trouble with the law again.

In 2015, the British man and four masked accomplices entered a house in Năvodari at night. Inside were the owners of the home, who were assaulted and seized. The thieves knew exactly where the family’s savings were and managed to escape with 100,000 euros.

According to Maltese media, two of the three suspects detained in the case of this murder are also suspected of pimping.