Brighton restaurant staff deny murdering their drug dealer

Serxhio Marku, 21, was found by police either dead or dying in the kitchen of a flat in Brighton on 11 September, 2019. Marku, known as Jack, was a drug dealer the court heard.

The Stafford Road flat is shared by Franceso D’Agostino, 44, and Giuseppe Petriccione, 45, who work in a restaurant in Brighton.

Alan Kent QC told the court that the scene was heavily bloodied. This was before he warned the jury that they would have to observe extremely graphic images of the murder scene, as well as computer reconstructions of injuries caused by a knife, a metal scaffolding pole and a threaded barbell.

Mr Kent explained: “The injuries have to be graphically set out because it is important for you to understand the different type of weapons used. Even the computer generated images are graphic but you will need to look at them.”

He described bloody hand prints around a doorframe that suggested Marku was clinging onto it as the attackers tried to drag him back in.

Mr Kent added: “Looking at the blood distribution on the outside of that flat, you might reach the conclusion Serxhio Marku tried to get out and reached the front door before he was pulled back inside to where the assault continued.” More than a dozen wounds from a sharp object and over 20 blunt force injuries were shown on the police computer reconstruction of his body.

Mr Kent noted this was a sustained and determined attack: “The connection between Serxhio Marku and the two defendants was drugs, notably cocaine.”

The defendants had contacted him over a hundred times in the months before his death, and were now blaming each other for the murder. Mr Kent explained that it is unknown why he was attacked almost immediately upon entering the flat.

He continues: “What we do know from telephone records is at 11.41pm a text message was sent from D’Agostino’s phone.” The text was sent in Italian and translated, it says “Tonight I will commit a murder.” The trials continue as both men deny murder.