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Naked City- Hitmen
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00:20In the Naked City, generations of crooks are linked by blood, crimes and conspiracies.
00:30For some, death is just around the corner.
00:36Most people go about their business unaware there is a darker world that exists alongside
00:42them.
00:45Until, like a rumbling volcano, it bursts to the surface.
00:55There are five million stories in the Naked City.
00:59This is one of them.
01:20What causes someone to become a hitman?
01:24They don't really care too much for human life.
01:30Why don't you admit that you murdered my children?
01:35They're the lowest of the low.
01:37They take a human life for a sum of money.
01:41This was only ever about who controlled the pill market.
01:48An easy money for someone who has no conscience is to pick up a gun and take a contract out.
01:57Get in!
01:58Get down!
01:58You must have heard the shot, surely.
02:03I'm amazed that anyone can be callous enough to kill for payment.
02:08They believe that that would give them status within the criminal world.
02:14They don't care if an innocent person is injured or wounded or was killed.
02:19To have a psyche like that means you are the lowest form of humanity there is.
02:25An uncontrollable war where people were getting murdered on a monthly basis.
02:31There's enough money in the drug trade for everyone for a share.
02:35But of course, as soon as you get a taste of it, that's it.
02:39You want the lot.
02:40A .45 semi-auto loaded.
02:44Binoculars, night vision gear, ballistic vest.
02:49Balaclava, mask, wig.
02:52I would call that a pretty good assassin's kit.
02:56And you are the hitman.
03:12In the late 1980s and well into the 2000s, Melbourne didn't just have a crime problem,
03:18it had a full-blown war on its hands.
03:21A bloody, drawn-out, underworld conflict that would leave dozens of bodies on the ground,
03:27tie up thousands of police hours and feed a national obsession with crooks who acted like celebrities.
03:35At the centre of it were rival crews fighting for a slice of the city's booming drug trade.
03:41The Carlton crew were old-school, organised, established and happy to mix gambling and stand-over tactics.
03:50Mick Gatto, Graeme Kinneborough and Mario Condello were an underworld collective coming together to socialise and do business.
04:00And they would still be in business if a key group, the Moran family, weren't greedy and hot-tempered.
04:06The Morans were connected through blood and business.
04:10Lewis was a bookmaker with sticky fingers.
04:13His sons, Mark, had the brains.
04:15Jason had the temper.
04:18Over a decade, it was a sprawling crime war involving hundreds of police, untold millions in drugs and money,
04:24that left major and minor underworld figures dead.
04:28At the same time, it would capture the fascination of a nation like no criminal story before or since.
04:36And that was because of the fuse that lit this powder keg of drugs, money and violence.
04:43Carl Anthony Williams.
04:53It seems so long ago, but I remember thinking way too much about Carl Williams.
05:01You know, I would have my working day full of how we were going to go and bring him behind
05:08bars,
05:08but that would often enter into my thoughts in the middle of the night.
05:13You know, I and many of my colleagues become very consumed by the work we did at the Piranha Task
05:21Force.
05:21And, you know, he was killing people, as it turned out, on a regular basis.
05:27We knew we weren't immune to that.
05:29We knew it was a threat and we took precautions for our own safety.
05:34All of us did.
05:36Ultimately, as I became more the focus of his attention, as we stepped out by our investigations,
05:43he became more focused on me.
05:46And we became aware of him making threats to kill me and my girlfriend.
05:51Williams was recorded asking his wife, Roberta,
05:55If Bateson comes looking for me, you know what to do, don't you?
05:58Shoot them in the head.
06:00If you want Bateson's missus, I'll just chop her up.
06:05When these threats are taking place in a context that they were,
06:10where people were actually getting murdered on a regular basis,
06:14when new allies were potentially at risk, there's not much you can do about it.
06:21But it's certainly, you know, from my point of view, the most important thing is,
06:26it didn't affect the way I did my job.
06:29And it certainly didn't make me take a step backwards.
06:33In fact, it made me take a step forwards into the fight.
06:45There was talk in the early days that Carl Williams was a driver for the Morans.
06:51I'm not sure that that was true.
06:53He was certainly in and around the periphery of their drug trafficking.
06:58He had taken up with Roberta Williams.
07:00You make this your bride.
07:02Roberta had been known to us previously to the police
07:06in other relationships she'd had with other serious criminals.
07:09She was a presence and a force to be reckoned with.
07:13And, you know, I think in lots of ways,
07:16she may well have been a Lady Macbeth to Carl.
07:23I first met Carl in probably late 1999.
07:29I got the impression that he was a lower level criminal,
07:34perhaps of limited intelligence.
07:36This history indicated to us that he was not much more than a street level thug.
07:41He was a member of a local footy club.
07:43I think at various stages he had a job stacking shelves at a supermarket.
07:50And the underworld thought of him as a bit of a loser.
07:57But there was rumours that he'd taken possession of a pill press
08:01that he refused to give back.
08:05He was manufacturing his own pills
08:08and selling them and undercutting the Morans in the market.
08:11But whatever the exact cause, there was real animosity.
08:16He was starting to emerge as a potential threat to their business
08:20and they wanted to put him back into place.
08:24The Moran family did not want this,
08:27what they saw as this upstart challenging them.
08:44Carl Williams was lured to a suburban park.
08:47He was lured there by Mark and Jason Moran.
08:51When he met with them, he was shot in the stomach with a small calibre pistol.
09:03After he was shot in the stomach, there was talk of finishing him off.
09:08But Jason was quite strong on the fact that there was money owed
09:12and they needed a collector from him and they couldn't do it if he was dead.
09:17Carl actually went home from the shooting that day
09:20and it was actually his parents that said to him, what's going on?
09:24And little did they know that Carl had been shot.
09:26They took him to hospital and they extracted this small calibre pallet from his stomach.
09:35This really was the thing that started the underworld war as we know it now.
09:42From that moment on, Carl knew that he was in danger,
09:45but he also swore that he'd get his revenge.
09:48He swore that he would kill the Morans.
09:57Mark Rand was smarter than the others.
10:01He had the reputation and the intelligence to do a lot of things.
10:08He was also pretty tough himself.
10:11It was around about 8.30 on this particular night we received a call.
10:16It was around 8.30 on this occasion.
10:46And as he got into that ute, he was shot with a shotgun.
10:54Early on, there was a number of people put forward as suspects,
10:58but we did have a strong lead in terms of Carl Williams.
11:04Carl wasn't a particularly tough guy,
11:06but there was no doubt Carl Williams was dangerous
11:09and he was willing to act with violence and take out his competitors.
11:18Still to come in the Naked City.
11:20For a story that's gripped Melbourne,
11:23today provided another riveting chapter.
11:25It was just out of control.
11:29These are the people who are willing to kill their friends,
11:32their family for money.
11:34Where were we going to go from here?
11:37Carl Williams said, fasten your seatbelts.
11:42We had intelligence to suggest
11:44that his life was in danger.
11:47Well, you know, if they tell me in the dance,
11:48we've got a dance buddy, you know.
11:51There's been so many murders,
11:53a special task force has been set up to catch the killers.
11:56This was the most important breakthrough
11:59that we'd had in the criminal law in Victoria
12:01for a very, very long time.
12:04Here, go.
12:06It's nasty.
12:07It's lots of blood and gore.
12:10It looked like a professional head.
12:11He was the only one that I would know
12:14who could run that far in that distance.
12:17I thought it was him.
12:20That was the crime that escalated this
12:22from criminals killing criminals
12:24to a public safety issue.
12:27We had snipers all around the building.
12:30Carl moved quickly.
12:31He was giving us a message.
12:32Yes, this was me,
12:33but you're not going to be able
12:34to do anything about it.
12:42The hit on Mark Moran
12:43was first reported
12:44as the death of a local footballer.
12:48It would take time to learn
12:50it was the declaration
12:51of an underworld war
12:53that would consume Melbourne for years.
12:57Carl Williams was a nobody
12:58who wanted to be the headline act.
13:02He began recruiting a crew of hard men
13:04to carry out his plan,
13:05to kill his enemies
13:06and leave him
13:08as the last man standing.
13:11His star recruit came out of the West
13:14with a reputation for being violent,
13:16efficient, merciless
13:17and utterly fearless.
13:21Before long,
13:22he became the most lethal contract killer
13:24in a gangland war
13:26that was only just getting started.
13:31In the 90s,
13:32we were seeing a number of crews
13:34emerge in the suburbs of Melbourne
13:36and in particular,
13:38there was a crew in Sunshine
13:39that was becoming increasingly more violent,
13:42involved in shootings, robberies
13:44and this was a crew
13:46that was becoming increasingly
13:48on the police radar.
13:54Neil Patterson's my name.
13:56I'm a former deputy commissioner
13:57with Victoria Police.
13:59Now, I arrived at Sunshine CIB
14:02in January of 1995.
14:05Andrew Veneman
14:06and Dino Dibbera
14:07were regulars
14:09through the CI offices
14:10back in those days.
14:12These were two young boys
14:14who had been friends
14:14since teenagers.
14:16They come together
14:17with Paul Colapolitis,
14:18Mark Malia
14:19and a couple of others
14:20and they form a relationship
14:22that's going to help each of them
14:25make money out there
14:26and they become known
14:28as the Sunshine Crew.
14:29They saw themselves as gangsters.
14:31They carried guns.
14:32They were dangerous individuals
14:34that were seen to be reckless.
14:35They were rubbing shoulders
14:37and bumping into
14:38other criminal networks
14:41across Melbourne
14:42like the Carlton Crew
14:43and they were becoming
14:45a much more serious criminal enterprise
14:48and causing problems.
14:52Andrew Veneman
14:53was perhaps
14:54the most dangerous.
14:56He was calculated
14:58and he was perhaps
14:59a little bit smarter
14:59than some of the others.
15:03He was an aggressive,
15:04violent kid.
15:06He was a boxer,
15:08tough
15:08and through the fight game
15:10he'd met people
15:11like Mick Gatto.
15:18He was unpredictable.
15:20He was somewhat well connected
15:24and as it turns out
15:26he had no hesitation
15:28to kill some of those
15:30friends that he had
15:31from his Sunshine Crew.
15:49Andrew Veneman
15:50was the suspect
15:51in killing his mates
15:53Paul Calipulitis
15:54and Dino Dibra.
15:57Dino Dibra's past
15:58caught up with him last night.
15:59He was shot at close range
16:01and died in the driveway.
16:03He shot him
16:04at least 14 times.
16:06When you look
16:07at something like that
16:08you know
16:08you've got rage.
16:13You know,
16:13you see there are
16:14fishing killers
16:15they only need to shoot once.
16:16When they're shooting
16:17excessive amount of times
16:19that is making a statement
16:21and that for us
16:22as police officers
16:23is a sign
16:24that we're dealing
16:25with some very dangerous people.
16:29There's an element
16:30of ego for Andrew
16:31as well.
16:32He's wanting
16:33his reputation
16:34as a hitman
16:34as a murderer
16:36he was someone
16:37to be feared.
16:39The other criminals
16:40in Melbourne
16:41would know
16:42that he would be prepared
16:43to do these things
16:45in a very public way
16:46and that was
16:48absolutely
16:49the reputation
16:49he sought.
16:54Carl Williams
16:55and Andrew Veneman
16:57they did see themselves
16:59as up and comers.
17:02At first
17:03it seemed like
17:03a strange coupling
17:04but Carl
17:05and he
17:06ended up building
17:07quite a good friendship.
17:09Carl
17:10brought him in
17:11as part of the team.
17:13He was earning
17:14good money
17:15through the drug trafficking
17:16and in lots of ways
17:19perhaps Carl treated him
17:20as a partner
17:20and he enjoyed
17:22the prominence.
17:24They certainly
17:26socialised together.
17:27He was friends
17:28with Roberta
17:29he was friends
17:29with Carl's kids
17:31they became
17:32very close.
17:35By that stage
17:36Veneman
17:37had a reputation
17:38for violence
17:39and use of guns
17:40and that was something
17:42that no doubt
17:43Williams thought
17:44that may be useful
17:45across the broader
17:47criminal networks.
17:51Nick Radev
17:52had a Bulgarian
17:53background
17:53but he was known
17:54as Nick the Russian.
17:56He had a reputation
17:59for extreme violence.
18:04He wanted access
18:05to the amphetamines cook
18:08who was controlled
18:09by Carl Williams.
18:18The rumor was
18:19that Nick Radev
18:20was going to
18:21kidnap that cook
18:22and force him
18:23into slave labour
18:24to make amphetamines.
18:25He was someone
18:26to be feared
18:27and rightly so.
18:29Carl was trying
18:30to take over
18:31really much
18:32of Melbourne's
18:33drug scene
18:33at that time.
18:35And Nick was trying
18:36to stand over
18:37Carl and his crew
18:38to get access
18:38to that amphetamines cook.
18:40Of course
18:41Carl didn't want
18:42to give it up.
18:53Nick Radev
18:54had a long
18:55and violent
18:55criminal past.
18:57He lived by the sword
18:59and last night
18:59he died by the sword.
19:01A gunman fired
19:02at least seven shots,
19:04one hitting Radev
19:04in the head.
19:08After the death
19:09of Nick Radev
19:10Venom took on
19:11a different notion
19:12for Victoria Police
19:13as a hitman
19:14for hire.
19:16And it's something
19:18that Victoria Police
19:19probably wasn't ready
19:20for back in those days
19:21in terms of
19:22his propensity
19:23to kill someone
19:24to get an outcome
19:25that he wanted.
19:27You know,
19:27murder had now
19:28become a commonplace
19:30tactic
19:31in Melbourne's underworld.
19:33It was happening
19:34far too regularly
19:35and it built
19:37the pressure on us
19:39as a police force
19:40to act.
19:41Murders in suburban streets,
19:43multiple shots
19:44fired into one victim.
19:46From my point of view
19:47it was further evidence
19:49of the war,
19:50the growing war
19:51we were starting
19:52to deal with.
20:05It's May 2003.
20:08The bodies
20:09have been stacking up
20:10shot,
20:11dumped
20:11or both
20:13across laneways,
20:15car parks
20:15and cafe corners.
20:18With Benji's reputation
20:20as a gun for hire
20:21firmly set
20:22and his loyalty
20:23to Carl
20:24rock solid,
20:25the pair
20:26didn't blink
20:26at removing anyone
20:28who got between them
20:29and their growing
20:30drug empire.
20:34But even with the cash
20:35rolling in,
20:36Carl's eyes
20:36never left the Morans.
20:38The grudge
20:39was still there
20:40and it wasn't
20:41going anywhere.
20:47So following
20:48Mark Brand's
20:49death,
20:50Jason knew
20:51he was
20:52potentially at risk
20:53and we know
20:55he left
20:55and went to London
20:57and lived overseas
20:58for a period of time.
20:59Why he came back,
21:01I don't know
21:02but I suspect
21:03it was because
21:04he was never
21:05going to work
21:05pulling beers
21:06in a pub
21:07in Kensington.
21:09By this time
21:11Carl had gathered
21:12some others
21:13into his crew.
21:14Carl was
21:15obsessed with
21:16killing Jason Moran
21:18and he was
21:18very motivated
21:19to do so.
21:20He was pushing
21:21everyone to get
21:22information.
21:24They were looking
21:25for him everywhere.
21:27And there was
21:27various times
21:28when Carl got
21:29close to him.
21:30There was a previous
21:31plot where
21:32Andrew Veneman
21:33was going to walk
21:34through a park
21:34dressed as a woman
21:35pushing a pram
21:36and then pull
21:37a shotgun
21:37out of the pram.
21:40But ultimately
21:41the only option
21:42they had
21:43was the fact
21:44that they knew
21:45that he took
21:46his children
21:47to an Auskick
21:47clinic
21:48at the Cross Keys
21:49Hotel
21:49every Saturday
21:50morning.
22:00On this
22:01particular day
22:02Jason Moran
22:03took his kids
22:04to an Auskick
22:05clinic
22:05with an associate.
22:08So if you can
22:09imagine
22:09it's a
22:10Saturday morning
22:11there's a hundred
22:12odd kids
22:13and parents
22:14grouped around
22:15and over
22:16watching their
22:16young kids
22:18kick the football
22:19around.
22:20This is a
22:20commonplace
22:21activity in
22:22Melbourne
22:22on a Saturday
22:23morning.
22:25I think
22:26Jason Moran
22:27probably assumed
22:28that he was safe
22:29that they wouldn't
22:30strike there.
22:40around 10.30
22:41in a calculated
22:42and deliberate
22:43slaying
22:44Jason Moran
22:45and another
22:45drug figure
22:46were shot dead
22:47while children
22:48sat in the backseat.
22:55This was reasonably
22:57well planned.
22:58This seemed
22:59to be executed
23:00in a professional
23:01manner.
23:02We had some
23:03CCTV footage
23:04that was attached
23:05to the Cross Keys
23:07Hotel.
23:08It was grainy footage
23:09but it was really
23:11telling.
23:15What it showed
23:16us is there
23:17was a white
23:18high ace van
23:19that pulled up
23:20in the car park
23:22and we could see
23:23the gunman
23:24get out of that van
23:25run around
23:26to the driver's
23:27side door
23:28and shoot
23:29both Pasquale
23:31Barbro
23:31and Jason Moran.
23:36The gunman
23:37drops the shotgun
23:37of the scene
23:38and then he runs.
23:39He doesn't get
23:40back into the
23:41white high ace
23:42he runs
23:42and we know
23:44from witnesses
23:45that he runs
23:46over the creek
23:46probably about
23:471,500 metres
23:48before we lose
23:50sight of him.
23:56That was telling.
23:57We started
23:58to look into
23:59who Carl Williams
24:00was associating
24:01with at the time
24:03and we'd seen
24:04that he was checked
24:05only weeks before
24:06with a guy
24:07who was known
24:08as the runner.
24:11So the runner
24:12is an interesting
24:14character
24:14he spent most
24:16of his adult
24:16life in jail
24:17and it was there
24:19that he met
24:19Carl Williams
24:20but he was a career
24:21criminal
24:22he was an
24:23armed robbery
24:23specialist
24:24that achieved
24:26his nickname
24:26because he was
24:27notorious for running
24:28from the scenes
24:29of his armed robberies.
24:39one of the state's
24:40most wanted fugitives
24:41after jumping
24:42from a police car
24:43while being driven
24:44to the old city
24:45watch house
24:45detectives hope
24:46he may help shed
24:47more light
24:48on other serious crimes.
24:53he was being taken
24:54to the Moonee Ponds
24:55court
24:56and the police
24:58for some reason
24:59opened the back doors
25:00of the van
25:03and he ran
25:06he just ran
25:07and he ran
25:07and he ran
25:08and he ran
25:08and he was on the run
25:09and he went to
25:10South Australia
25:12Perth
25:12and then ended up
25:13in Darwin
25:14eventually got caught
25:15in Melbourne
25:16and that's when
25:17I hooked up with him
25:18when he was out
25:19at Pentridge
25:22the Runners family
25:24came to see me
25:26as the local
25:27community lawyer
25:28to ask if I would
25:30go and visit him
25:30out at Pentridge
25:32he was a really
25:34tough man
25:37when he was
25:38in Pentridge
25:38he got involved
25:40in a fight
25:41he got stabbed
25:42just above the heart
25:44and he just
25:46kept going
25:47he was
25:48violent
25:49he was tough
25:50extremely fit
25:52could run
25:53like the clappers
25:53when the two people
25:56were killed
25:56at the
25:58Auskick
25:59I thought it was him
26:06what we are looking at
26:08is a fairly brazen
26:10execution style
26:11double homicide
26:13we went to the cross
26:14keys that morning
26:17how did they
26:18come to know
26:19where to go
26:20what to do
26:22we knew
26:23that they must
26:23have committed
26:24some sort of
26:25reconnaissance
26:25in the days before
26:26and there was
26:27some clues
26:28we noticed
26:29there was a phone
26:30box close to the
26:31cross keys
26:32and criminals
26:33in those days
26:34would use phone boxes
26:35to communicate
26:35with each other
26:36thinking that we
26:37wouldn't intercept
26:38them
26:38so we analysed
26:40the calls made
26:40from this particular
26:41phone box
26:42what it told us
26:44is the guy
26:45that made the phone
26:45calls on that day
26:46rang Carl Williams
26:48rang the runner
26:50and then rang
26:51a third person
26:53that we didn't know
26:54we identified
26:56that third person
26:57we went around
26:58to his house
26:59executed a warrant
27:00put some pressure
27:01on him
27:02and he gave up
27:03who'd rang him
27:04that day
27:05turns out
27:06it's the guy
27:07that we now refer
27:08to as the driver
27:21on June 20 2003
27:23Melbourne's gangland war
27:25stopped lurking
27:26in the shadows
27:26and stepped
27:28into full public view
27:30Jason Moran
27:31and Pasquale Barbara
27:33were gunned down
27:34in broad daylight
27:35in front of kids
27:36at a footy clinic
27:37what we are looking at
27:38is a fairly brazen
27:39execution style
27:41double homicide
27:41it was a professional hit
27:43and it sent a message
27:44no one was safe
27:47not long after
27:48detectives traced
27:49a phone call
27:50to the man
27:51they nicknamed
27:52the driver
27:56the driver
27:57was a
27:58was a different
27:59type of criminal
28:00he was a known burglar
28:01a very good burglar
28:02but he was also
28:04a known rapist
28:05and sex offender
28:06and he
28:08was a character
28:10that
28:12in lots of ways
28:13was repulsive
28:14but he was also
28:15willing to commit
28:16murders for payment
28:18and that's where
28:19Carl
28:19utilised that
28:21particular skill
28:22that he had
28:26around 10.30
28:28in a calculated
28:29and deliberate
28:30slaying
28:30Jason Moran
28:31and another
28:32less prominent
28:33drug figure
28:33were shot dead
28:34while children
28:35sat in the back seat
28:38the runner
28:39ran up to the
28:40side window
28:40of Jason Moran's
28:41van
28:43fired
28:44shot
28:44from a double
28:45barrel shotgun
28:47Jason Moran
28:48ducked
28:48the first shot
28:50hit Pasquale Barbro
28:51in the face
28:54killed him instantly
28:55and the runner
28:57gets up on his toes
28:58fires the second shot
28:59from the double
29:00barrel shotgun
29:02into the back
29:03of Jason Moran
29:05he drops that
29:06shotgun at the scene
29:08pulls out a pistol
29:09fires five more
29:10shots
29:11into Jason Moran
29:12and then runs
29:13what's most horrific
29:15about that
29:16is there was
29:1710 kids
29:18in the back
29:19of that van
29:22Jason Moran
29:23had invited
29:24a number of his
29:25son's friends
29:26back
29:26for hot dogs
29:29these parents
29:30had no idea
29:31who Jason Moran
29:32was
29:33they didn't know
29:34he had a 9mm
29:35pistol down
29:35the back
29:36of his pants
29:38they didn't know
29:39he was in
29:39the Underworld War
29:40they just thought
29:42their kids
29:42were going back
29:43for hot dogs
29:47for everyone
29:48in the community
29:49that was the crime
29:51that escalated
29:52this from
29:52criminals
29:53killing criminals
29:54to a public
29:55safety issue
29:57police have
29:58described the
29:59killings as
30:00callous and
30:00cold-blooded
30:01neighbours heard
30:02at least two
30:02shots
30:03the latest in
30:04a series of
30:05Underworld killings
30:06going to any
30:06lengths to control
30:07the $5 billion
30:08a year market
30:09in party drugs
30:10we had a number
30:12of murders that
30:13occurred after
30:14Mark Moran
30:14and it started to
30:16emerge that we
30:16had an issue
30:17there are fears
30:18this latest murder
30:19may escalate the
30:20city's gangland
30:21killings
30:21we are concerned
30:22about the potential
30:23for innocent people
30:24being caught up in that
30:25this sort of
30:26lawlessness must
30:27stop
30:29we're talking
30:30a higher rate
30:32of people being
30:33killed within
30:33the criminal
30:34underworld than
30:35Melbourne had
30:36ever seen before
30:36and hasn't seen
30:38since
30:40there was
30:41Phil Swindells
30:42one of our senior
30:43sergeants that first
30:44submitted a request
30:46to build a task force
30:47to have a look
30:48at the commonalities
30:49between those murders
30:51there's been so many
30:53murders a special task
30:54force has been set up
30:55to catch the killers
30:56I think it's the worst
30:57series of organised
30:58crime killings in
30:59Australia's history
31:00why don't you admit
31:01that you murdered my
31:03children
31:06the pressure was on
31:08for Victoria police
31:09and indeed you feel
31:10quite a sense of
31:11self-imposed pressure
31:13to really make a
31:15difference
31:15detectives who were
31:16working on
31:17Piranha task force
31:18were highly motivated
31:20individuals who wanted
31:21to hold the criminals
31:23that were really
31:25causing havoc across
31:26Melbourne suburbs
31:27to account
31:28for us
31:29it was one of the
31:30most important
31:31investigations in
31:32Victoria police's
31:33history and we were
31:34putting significant
31:35resources and time
31:37into it
31:37are these paid hits
31:39that's one of the
31:40things we're looking at
31:41do you think it will
31:42keep happening
31:43I can't rule that out
31:47yes we'll get in
31:48closer yes we'll
31:49get him further
31:50into understanding
31:51what was going on
31:52in this war
31:53but the murders
31:54continued to occur
31:57Mark Marley was
31:58considered part of
31:59the Sunshine crew
32:00but he wasn't
32:01through the doors
32:02being charged by
32:03detectives at
32:03anywhere near the
32:04same rate as
32:06some of the others
32:07involved
32:07he was part of the
32:09crew but just at a
32:10different level
32:12Marley was also
32:14a known associate
32:15of Radev and he
32:17became upset after
32:19Nick Radev's murder
32:20and he was starting
32:21to make inquiries
32:22about why that
32:23occurred and in fact
32:24on one occasion we
32:25had some CCTV footage
32:28of him meeting with
32:29Andrew Vetterman at
32:30Crown Casino
32:32they'd often meet
32:33there not only was it
32:35neutral ground but
32:36they did know there
32:37was cameras so they
32:38always felt they were
32:38safe and we have
32:40some footage of Mark
32:42Marley getting up
32:43and pointing in
32:44Andrew Vetterman's
32:45chest and for us
32:47that was a bit of
32:49a red flag we
32:49thought he may well
32:51be in danger and it
32:52turns out we arrived
32:58Mark Marley was
33:00lured to a house in
33:02Melbourne's north by
33:03a couple of his
33:03friends when they
33:06arrived laying there
33:08in wait was Andrew
33:09Vetterman, Carl
33:10Williams and the
33:12runner.
33:13They tortured him
33:15believing that
33:16Marley could give
33:18them access to Nick
33:20Radev's hidden
33:20precursor chemicals.
33:23He had a soldering
33:24iron put into the
33:26roof of his mouth.
33:27He was bashed
33:29repeatedly.
33:31They then put him
33:32in the boot of a car
33:33and drove him to the
33:36western suburbs.
33:41Dumped him down a drain
33:44and set him on fire.
33:47Police were contacted
33:49at eight o'clock last
33:50night after fire crews
33:51made the discovery.
33:52They'd been called to put
33:53out flames spotted near a
33:55fence on the sports field.
33:56It was a gruesome and
33:59pretty horrific attack on
34:02him trying to get that
34:03information they thought
34:04he had.
34:12SES volunteers joined
34:14police this morning in a
34:15line search of the sports
34:16field where the remains of
34:17the dead man were found.
34:19It's believed accelerant was
34:21used in the death.
34:22He was in a drain pit at one
34:24end of the ground.
34:27It was interesting that
34:29they drove him from the
34:30northern suburbs to the
34:31western suburbs.
34:32They dumped him in a
34:34position that was not far
34:35from Andrew Vetterman's
34:36childhood home.
34:38And for us that was a sign
34:41that Andrew Vetterman was
34:42getting a little bit more
34:43out of control.
34:45We believed that he was
34:47giving us a message.
34:48Yes this was me but you're
34:50not going to be able to do
34:51anything about it.
35:00It's October 2003.
35:03In just six months Melbourne's
35:06underworld war had racked up
35:07more bodies.
35:09Nick the Russian Radov,
35:11Mark Mardia and the public
35:13execution of Jason Moran and
35:15Pasquale Barbaro in front of
35:17the kids at Auskick shocked
35:19the nation.
35:21Every killing was more
35:22brazen than the last.
35:24The city's body count was
35:26growing and so was the
35:27pressure.
35:29They needed a win and
35:30quick.
35:31The police response was to
35:33announce the Piranha Task
35:35Force.
35:37They inherited a lead from the
35:39homicide squad.
35:40A phone link to the driver of
35:42the getaway car from the
35:43Auskick shooting.
35:44It would be the golden
35:47thread.
35:51Once we identified who the
35:54driver was, we went round to
35:57his home in the southern
35:59suburbs of Melbourne and
36:01there parked in the driveway was
36:03a white hiace.
36:04That white hiace was used in the
36:07murder of Jason Moran.
36:08This was a significant breakthrough
36:11for us and we thought we're on
36:12the right track.
36:15What we did then is we commenced
36:17electronic surveillance on the
36:19driver and the runner and Carl
36:21Williams.
36:24When the Piranha Task Force was
36:27formed, there was only seven
36:28detectives.
36:29After Jason Moran, we grew to
36:3255 and over time we built on
36:34that.
36:35By this stage we had telephone
36:37intercepts and listening devices.
36:41Someone had to actually listen to
36:43all those hours.
36:44Teams of people were doing that.
36:46The sheer weight of numbers showed
36:49the seriousness Victoria police
36:51were taking this war.
36:53The more information we got in,
36:56we built good intelligence
36:58databases.
36:59So in lots of ways if you had a
37:01deck of cards, we were targeting
37:02the sevens and eights so we could
37:04move our way up to the ace of spades
37:06which was Carl Williams.
37:12We, through our web of electronic
37:14surveillance, got wind that the
37:17runner and the driver were looking
37:20for a clean car that couldn't be
37:21traced back to them.
37:24We worked hard to get an electronic
37:27device into that vehicle.
37:29Unfortunately for us, they noticed
37:31one of the brake lights wasn't
37:32working.
37:32They started going through all the
37:34wiring in the car and they found
37:36our device.
37:37We thought our job was blown.
37:40But we underestimated how desperate
37:41they were to commit this crime.
37:44So they used their own car.
37:47Little did they know that we had a
37:49listening device in that car as well.
38:02Both the runner and the driver parked
38:06down the end of Joy Street, South
38:07Yarra in a laneway.
38:10And we believed that they were
38:12actually going to commit an armed
38:13robbery.
38:14But we heard that playing with a gun,
38:18we started to think, oh my God, this
38:20might be something different.
38:23They pull into Joy Street.
38:25We hear the driver and the runner
38:30talking.
38:48And they accelerate down Joy Street and
38:52the runner says, that's him.
38:56Go, go, go.
39:02And then the runner jumps out of the car.
39:19The runner then takes off in a gap
39:23between a block of flats and he gets
39:25back into the driver's car who's
39:27waiting for him.
39:28And you hear the driver say quite
39:31clearly, get down, get down, get in,
39:36get down, get down, nice and down,
39:39safe down.
39:41And they drove from the scene.
39:44Hey, down.
39:45You're all right.
39:47Straight down.
39:48Don't sound right.
39:48Straight down.
39:49Yeah, I am.
39:51All right.
39:52They drove straight back to the driver's
39:58house in the southern suburbs.
40:00Little did they know we had a listening
40:02device in there as well.
40:03And we overhear them getting rid of
40:06their clothes, getting rid of the gun.
40:08But most importantly, we hear a phone
40:11call where the runner calls Carl
40:14Williams and says these words,
40:17Carl, you know that horse you tipped us?
40:19It's just been scratched.
40:24Michael Marshall lived in a beautiful
40:27house in South Yarra.
40:28His business, or at least publicly
40:31known business, was a small hot dog
40:34van which he operated in South Melbourne.
40:37Marshall was a quiet achiever in terms
40:41of the drug world.
40:43But he also had access to precursor
40:46chemicals and he was willing to supply it
40:48to fuel the anivertiman market in Melbourne.
40:56He was out collecting bread rolls
40:59with his five-year-old son for that night
41:03for his hot dog van.
41:15You know, sometimes it's easy to look
41:18at, you know, that time where there were
41:20just criminals being murdered.
41:22But to do so forgets some of the collateral
41:26damage that's left behind.
41:29Marshall's five-year-old son witnessed
41:31his father's murder.
41:33He was standing on the side of the road
41:35and when the uniformed police attended
41:38he was still standing there looking at his father
41:41and he said to the uniformed police,
41:44I'm not allowed to cross the road
41:46without holding my dad's hand.
41:48And for the police, that was just the most
41:51heartbreaking thing to come out
41:53of a five-year-old's mouth
41:55as his father lay in the gutter
41:58on the other side of the road
41:59bleeding to death.
42:08After the call to Carl Williams
42:11they decide they're going to meet Carl.
42:13So they get back into the driver's vehicle
42:17and they're heading down St. Kilda Road.
42:20I wanted to let them run all the way
42:23to Carl Williams to get the evidence
42:26of their meeting.
42:27But it was decided that was too dangerous.
42:31The decision was made to have the SOG arrest them
42:35and that occurred outside the Elstonwick Hotel.
42:39They were blocked in by the SOG,
42:42dragged from their vehicle
42:43and it was five minutes later that I arrived
42:47to find them both handcuffed
42:49face down on the nature strip.
42:53The runner tried to fight the SOG.
42:55He lost, as you'd expect.
42:57But he was angry throughout the whole evening.
43:00As is his way, he was an aggressive, violent man
43:04and he was not happy about being arrested at all.
43:07The driver, on the other hand,
43:09sensed an opportunity.
43:10He knew he was in trouble
43:12and right from that moment he was arrested.
43:14He was looking for a deal.
43:16On that night, we interviewed both the driver
43:21and the runner.
43:23The runner didn't say anything.
43:25In fact, he made a no comment interview
43:27and he was aggressive throughout the whole night.
43:30The driver did likewise,
43:32but off the record,
43:34he started to indicate he was willing
43:36to give information about Carl Williams and others.
43:39And we knew then
43:40that we had our first crack
43:42in, you know,
43:44what is loosely called
43:45the Underworld Code of Silence.
43:51Next time in the Naked City.
43:54We just needed a breakthrough.
43:56Where were we going to go from here?
43:59The establishment were not going to let this occur
44:02without consequences
44:03and it brought Mick Gatto into it.
44:08You generally don't do deals
44:10with murderers.
44:11That is.
44:14Without the driver,
44:16they'd have a problem
44:17connecting Williams.
44:19But we could make things happen
44:21if we made a brave decision.
44:24He would be the best person to do that.
44:28You.
44:29Two murders in a week.
44:31The pressure did build
44:32and the pressure didn't stop.
44:34It was just out of control.
44:37The murder.
44:39The crime.
44:40The war.
44:42This has got to stop.
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