Today marks 48 years since the unsolved murder of 15-year-old Karin Grech, who was killed by a bomb hidden inside what she believed was a late Christmas present.On 28 December in 1977, Karin spotted a brown envelope with a package wrapped in Christmas paper at her home. Thinking it was a gift, she opened it- only for a bomb concealed inside to explode in her face as her brother watched. She was rushed to hospital but died around 30 minutes later.Despite nearly half a century passing, nobody has ever been formally charged or convicted in connection with the murder, and the investigation has faded into political controversy. Authorities have at times suggested that medical students may have been involved in planning the attack, but with each year that goes by, the prospect of justice diminishes.Over the decades, Bernard Grech and other senior politicians, including PL’s Chris Fearne, have repeatedly called on police to continue efforts to solve the case and bring closure. In 2011, Karin’s father said he possessed information indicating that a group of fourth- and fifth-year medical students had allegedly hired a criminal bomb expert to construct the device that killed her.He also claimed that political interference had thwarted progress, alleging that a lawyer with political connections allowed the students to use his office for meetings related to the case.To this day, no one has been held legally responsible, and the tragic murder remains one of Malta’s most haunting unresolved crimes•