The Court of First Instance of General Jurisdiction in Berat has imposed the security measure of “prison arrest” on Kristo Mema (also known as Kontandin Oxhaj), 63, the perpetrator of the stabbing death of 42-year-old Keli Hoxha. During the court session, the perpetrator expressed remorse and stated that the incident occurred “in a fit of rage” after the victim had insulted and cursed him from his family. In the courtroom, he also apologized to the victim’s family.
Court hearing
Kristo Mema appeared at noon today at the Berat Court, under strict security measures, about an hour before the start of the session, to be informed of the security measure. The prosecutor of the case, Renato Tosku, after presenting the circumstances of the incident, requested the security measure "prison arrest" for him for the criminal offense of "Murder", provided for by the relevant article of the Criminal Code. After hearing the defense lawyer and the author himself, Judge Renis Bega considered the arrest "lawful" and imposed the security measure "prison arrest" on Mema.
event
The incident occurred on the evening of October 28, in the Berat Castle. The argument between the perpetrator and the victim began after the latter had touched the horse, which Mema used to walk tourists around the castle, for a fee. According to the testimonies, the perpetrator asked the victim not to touch the horse anymore, because – according to him – the animal was not well and was irritated. After that, a verbal argument began between them that ended tragically. Mema took out the knife she was hiding in the horse's saddle and stabbed Hoxha.
After the incident, the perpetrator fled to the apartment, tied the horse to the shed, took some food and hid in one of the castle's caves to escape the police. The victim, Keli Hoxha, 42 years old, a resident of Tirana and originally from Tropoja, could not survive his wounds and died upon arrival at the Berat Regional Hospital. The perpetrator was caught a few hours later, hiding in the so-called "Memec Cave", near the Church of St. Michael.
The author's past
Investigations have revealed that Kristo Mema (alias Kontandin Oxhaj) committed a murder in 1993, also in Berat. After that incident, he fled to Greece for about 25 years, where he changed his name. He did not serve any sentence for that murder, as the statute of limitations had expired.
