John Cassar, the man accused of murdering his mother and attempting to kill his father in Mqabba, allegedly sent voice messages following the attack in which he claimed to have killed both his parents.During his arraignment on Saturday afternoon before Magistrate Nadia Helena Vella, the court heard how Cassar sent several voice messages, including one to a woman in which he reportedly said, in English, “I killed them both,” as reported by Times of Malta.In another message sent to his ex-wife, Cassar allegedly warned her not to take their children to their grandparents’ house, describing the scene as “macabre”.Cassar pleaded not guilty to murdering his 72-year-old mother, Mary Grace Cassar, and attempting to murder his 74-year-old father, Ganni Cassar.Mary Grace was found dead inside the family home, known as Id-Dar tan-Nannu, on Valletta Road in Mqabba on Thursday afternoon.Her husband was discovered outside the property suffering from a chest wound, allegedly inflicted with a screwdriver. He was initially hospitalised in critical condition but is now reported to be stable.Police investigator Colin Sheldon told the court that CCTV footage showed Cassar entering his parents’ residence around the estimated time of his mother’s death.The court also heard that Cassar’s father identified his son as the person who attacked him.Following the incident, Cassar allegedly fled to his residence in Ħal-Farruġ, where police negotiators contacted him through a video call.During the conversations, Cassar reportedly told Inspector Sheldon that he had killed both his parents.“At the time I believe the accused didn’t know his father had survived,” Sheldon told the court.The inspector also testified that Cassar appeared to be smoking from a pipe and foil during the video call.Cassar allegedly admitted to having consumed cocaine over several days and said he needed heroin to “come down”.He initially told police that he wanted “to take a trip” before surrendering, but eventually gave himself up without resistance.Following his arrest, Cassar was taken to Mater Dei Hospital after reportedly consuming a combination of crack cocaine, cocaine and heroin. He was subsequently interrogated on Saturday morning.During the arraignment, Cassar reportedly sat hunched over, frequently keeping his eyes closed and staring at the floor.In an unusual moment during standard court questioning, Cassar was asked whether his parents were still alive.He initially answered that they were, before eventually responding: “I choose not to answer.”Investigators believe the alleged attack may have been partly linked to a dispute over €7,000 which Cassar claimed he was owed.In the days leading up to the incident, Cassar had also published several Facebook posts referring to his mother and other individuals.He continued posting after the alleged attack, including one message in which he referred to “seven years of torture” and described himself as “armed”.Apart from the murder and attempted murder charges, Cassar is also facing charges of threatening his ex-wife and others through electronic communications, causing his ex-wife to fear violence, and drug possession.Cassar has pleaded not guilty to all charges.•