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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.
10:16We started all the same.
10:45and 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.
11:40Is that it?
11:42We had intelligence to suggest that 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.
12:29Carl moved quickly.
12:31He was giving us a message.
12:32Yes, this was me,
12:34but you're not going to be able to do anything about it.
12:42The hit on Mark Moran was first reported
12:44as the death of a local footballer.
12:48It would take time to learn
12:50it was the declaration of an underworld war
12:53that would consume Melbourne for years.
12:56Carl 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 as 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.
13:20Before long,
13:22he became the most lethal contract killer
13:24in a gangland war
13:26that was only just getting started.
13:30In the 90s,
13:32we were seeing a number of crews emerge
13:35in 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 and Dino Dibberot
14:07were regulars through the CI offices
14:10back in those days.
14:11These were two young boys
14:14who had been friends since 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 other 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 was 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.
15:01We're in total black camp.
15:03He was an aggressive, violent kid.
15:06He was a boxer, tough
15:08and through the fight game
15:10he'd met people like Mick Gatto.
15:12He 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 friends
15:30that he had from his Sunshine Crew.
15:49Andrew Veneman
15:50was the suspect
15:51in killing his mates
15:53Paul Caleplitis
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 at something like that
16:08you know you've got rage.
16:13You know, you see
16:14there are efficient 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 of ego
16:30for Andrew as well.
16:32He's wanting his reputation
16:34as a hitman
16:34as a murderer
16:36that he 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 the 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
17:19treated him
17:20as a partner
17:20and he enjoyed
17:22the prominence.
17:24They certainly
17:25socialised 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
18:36trying to stand over
18:37Carl and his crew
18:38to get access
18:38to that amphetamines cook.
18:40Of course Carl
18:41didn'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
19:03one 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.
19:26You know murder
19:27had now become
19:29a commonplace tactic
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
19:42multiple 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
20:07the bodies
20:09have been stacking up
20:10shot
20:10dumped
20:11or both
20:13across laneways
20:14car 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
21:16with killing
21:17Jason Moran
21:18and he was
21:18very motivated
21:19to do so.
21:20He was pushing
21:21everyone to get
21:22information
21:24and they were
21:24looking for him
21:25everywhere.
21:27And there was
21:27various times
21:28when Carl
21:29got close to him.
21:30There was a
21:31previous plot
21:32where Andrew
21:32Veneman
21:33was going to
21:33walk through
21:34a park
21:34dressed as a
21:35woman
21:35pushing a pram
21:36and then pull
21:37a shotgun
21:37out of the
21:38pram.
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
21:49Keys Hotel
21:50every Saturday
21:50morning.
21:59On this
22:01particular day
22:02Jason Moran
22:03took his kids
22:04to an Auskick
22:05clinic
22:05with an
22:06associate.
22:08So if you
22:09can imagine
22:09it's a
22:10Saturday morning
22:11there's a
22:12hundred odd
22:13kids and
22:13parents
22:14grouped around
22:15and over
22:16watching their
22:16young kids
22:18kick the
22:19football around.
22:20This is a
22:20commonplace
22:21activity in
22:22Melbourne
22:22on a
22:23Saturday
22:23morning.
22:25I think
22:26Jason Moran
22:27probably assumed
22:28that he was
22:28safe,
22:29that they
22:29wouldn't
22:30strike there.
22:40around 10.30
22:42in a
22:42calculated
22:42and deliberate
22:43slaying
22:44Jason Moran
22:45and another
22:45drug figure
22:46were shot
22:46dead
22:47while children
22:48sat in the
22:48backseat.
22:55This was
22:56reasonably well
22:58planned.
22:58This seemed to be
22:59executed in a
23:01professional manner.
23:02We had some CCTV
23:04footage that was
23:05attached to the
23:06Cross Keys Hotel.
23:07It was grainy
23:09footage but it
23:10was really
23:11telling.
23:15What it showed
23:16us is there
23:17was a white
23:18high-ace van
23:19that pulled
23:20up in the
23:21car park and
23:22we could see
23:22the gunman
23:24get out of
23:24that van,
23:25run around
23:26to the
23:26driver's side
23:27door and
23:29shoot both
23:30Pasquale
23:31Barbro and
23:31Jason Moran.
23:35The gunman
23:37drops the
23:37shotgun of
23:38the scene
23:38and then
23:38he runs.
23:39He doesn't
23:40get back
23:40into the
23:41white
23:41high-ace
23:42he runs
23:42and we
23:44know from
23:44witnesses
23:45that he
23:45runs over
23:46the creek
23:46probably
23:47about
23:471500
23:48metres
23:48before we
23:50lose
23:50sight of
23:51him.
23:56That was
23:56telling.
23:57We started
23:58to look
23:58into who
23:59Carl
24:00Williams
24:00was
24:00associating
24:01with at
24:01the time
24:03and we'd
24:04seen that
24:05he was
24:05checked
24:05only weeks
24:06before.
24:07with a
24:07guy
24:07who was
24:08known
24:08as
24:08the
24:08runner.
24:11So the
24:12runner
24:12is an
24:13interesting
24:14character.
24:15He spent
24:15most of
24:16his adult
24:16life in
24:17jail and
24:18it was
24:18there that
24:19he met
24:19Carl
24:19Williams.
24:20But he
24:21was a
24:21career
24:21criminal.
24:22He was
24:23an armed
24:23robbery
24:23specialist
24:24that achieved
24:26his nickname
24:26because he
24:27was notorious
24:28from running
24:28from the
24:29scenes of
24:29his armed
24:30robberies.
24:39one of
24:40the state's
24:40most wanted
24:41fugitives
24:41after jumping
24:42from a
24:42police car
24:43while being
24:44driven to
24:44the old
24:44city watch
24:45house.
24:46Detectives
24:46hope he
24:47may help
24:47shed more
24:48light on
24:48other serious
24:49crimes.
24:53He was
24:53being taken
24:54to the
24:54Moonee Ponds
24:55court and
24:57the police
24:58for some
24:58reason opened
24:59the back
25:00doors of
25:01the van and
25:04he ran.
25:06He just
25:06ran and
25:07he ran and
25:08he ran and
25:08he ran and
25:09he was on
25:09the run and
25:10he went to
25:10South Australia
25:12Perth and
25:12then ended
25:13up in
25:13Darwin and
25:14eventually got
25:15caught in
25:15Melbourne and
25:17that's when I
25:17hooked up with
25:18him when he
25:18was out at
25:19Pentridge.
25:22The Runners
25:23family came
25:25to see me
25:26as the
25:26local community
25:27lawyer to
25:29ask if I
25:29would go and
25:30visit him out
25:31at Pentridge.
25:32He was a
25:34really tough
25:35man.
25:37When he was
25:38in Pentridge
25:38he got
25:40involved in
25:40a fight.
25:41He got
25:42stabbed just
25:43above the
25:43heart and
25:45he just
25:46kept going.
25:47He was
25:48violent,
25:49he was
25:49tough,
25:51extremely
25:51fit,
25:52could run
25:53like the
25:53clappers.
25:54When the
25:55two people
25:56were killed
25:56at the
25:58Auskick,
25:59I thought
26:00it was him.
26:06what we
26:07are looking
26:07at is a
26:08fairly brazen
26:10execution
26:11style double
26:11homicide.
26:13We went to
26:14the Cross
26:14Keys that
26:15morning.
26:17How did
26:18they come to
26:19know where to
26:19go, what to
26:21do?
26:22We knew that
26:23they must have
26:23committed some
26:24sort of
26:25reconnaissance in
26:25the days before
26:26and there
26:27were some
26:27clues.
26:28We noticed
26:29there was a
26:30phone box
26:30close to the
26:31Cross Keys
26:32and criminals
26:33in those days
26:34would use
26:34phone boxes
26:35to communicate
26:35with each
26:36other thinking
26:36that we
26:37wouldn't
26:37intercept them.
26:38So we
26:39analysed the
26:40calls made
26:40from this
26:41particular
26:41phone box.
26:43What it told
26:44us is the
26:44guy that made
26:45the phone
26:45calls on
26:46that day
26:46rang Carl
26:48Williams,
26:48rang the
26:50runner and
26:51then rang a
26:52third person
26:53that we
26:53didn't know.
26:55We identified
26:56that third
26:57person, we
26:58went around
26:58to his house,
26:59executed a
27:00warrant, put
27:01some pressure
27:01on him and
27:02he gave up
27:03who'd rang
27:04him that
27:05day.
27:05Turns out
27:06it's the guy
27:07that we now
27:08refer to as
27:08the driver.
27:21On June
27:2220, 2003
27:23Melbourne's
27:24gangland war
27:25stopped lurking
27:26in the shadows
27:26and stepped
27:28into full
27:28public view.
27:30Jason Moran
27:31and Pasquale
27:32Barbara
27:33were gunned
27:34down in broad
27:34daylight in front
27:35of kids at a
27:36footy clinic.
27:37What we are
27:38looking at is a
27:39fairly brazen
27:39execution style
27:41double homicide.
27:42It was a
27:42professional hit
27:43and it sent a
27:44message.
27:45No one was
27:46safe.
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
27:58different type
27:59of criminal.
28:00He was a
28:01known burglar,
28:02a very good
28:02burglar, but
28:03he was also
28:04a known rapist
28:05and sex
28:06offender.
28:07And he
28:08was a
28:09character
28:10that
28:12in lots
28:13of ways
28:13was repulsive.
28:14But he was
28:15also willing
28:16to commit
28:16murders for
28:17payment
28:18and that's
28:19where Carl
28:19utilised that
28:21particular skill
28:22that he had.
28:27Around
28:2710.30 in a
28:28calculated and
28:29deliberate
28:30slaying,
28:31Jason Moran
28:31and another
28:32less prominent
28:33drug figure
28:33were shot dead
28:34while children
28:35sat in the
28:36back seat.
28:38The runner
28:39ran up to the
28:40side window
28:40of Jason
28:41Moran's van,
28:43fired a shot
28:44from a double
28:45barrelled shotgun.
28:47Jason Moran
28:48ducked.
28:49The first shot
28:50hit Pasquale
28:51Barbro in the face.
28:54Killed him
28:55instantly.
28:56And the runner
28:57gets up on his
28:58toes, fires the
28:59second shot
28:59from the double
29:00barrel shotgun
29:02into the back
29:03of Jason Moran.
29:05He drops that
29:06shotgun at the
29:06scene,
29:08pulls out a
29:09pistol, fires
29:10five more shots
29:11into Jason Moran
29:12and then runs.
29:14What's most
29:15horrific about
29:16that is there
29:17was ten kids
29:18in the back
29:19of that van.
29:22Jason Moran
29:23had invited a
29:24number of his
29:25son's friends
29:26back for hot dogs.
29:29These parents
29:30had no idea
29:31who Jason Moran
29:32was.
29:33They didn't know
29:34he had a
29:349mm pistol
29:35down the back
29:36of his pants.
29:38They didn't know
29:39he was in the
29:39Underworld War.
29:41They just thought
29:42their kids were
29:43going back
29:43for hot dogs.
29:47For everyone
29:48in the community
29:49that was the
29:50crime that
29:51escalated this
29:52from criminals
29:53killing criminals
29:54to a public
29:55safety issue.
29:58Police 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 a
30:04series of
30:05Underworld killings.
30:06Going to any
30:06lengths to control
30:07the $5 billion
30:08a year market
30:09in party drugs.
30:11We had a number
30:12of murders that
30:13occurred after
30:14Mark Moran
30:14and it started
30:16to emerge that
30:16we had 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
30:25that.
30:25This sort of
30:26flawlessness must
30:27stop.
30:29We're talking
30:30a higher rate
30:32of people being
30:33killed within the
30:34criminal underworld
30:34than Melbourne
30:35had ever seen
30:36before and hasn't
30:37seen since.
30:40There was Phil
30:41Swindells, one of
30:43our senior sergeants
30:44that first submitted
30:45a request to build
30:46a task force to have
30:48a look at the
30:48commonalities between
30:49those murders.
30:51There's been so many
30:53murders, a special
30:53task force has been
30:55set up to catch
30:55the killers.
30:56I think it's the
30:57worst series of
30:58organised crime
30:58killings in
30:59Australia's history.
31:00Why don't you
31:01admit that you
31:02murdered my children?
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 Piranha
31:18Task Force were
31:19highly motivated
31:20individuals who
31:21wanted to hold the
31:23criminals that were
31:24really causing havoc
31:25across Melbourne
31:26suburbs to account.
31:28For us, it was one of
31:30the most important
31:31investigations in
31:32Victoria Police's
31:33history and we were
31:34putting significant
31:35resources and time
31:37into it.
31:38Are these paid hits?
31:40That's one of the
31:40things we're looking
31:41at.
31:42Do you think it will
31:42keep happening?
31:43I can't rule that
31:44out.
31:47Yes, we're getting
31:48closer, yes, we're
31:49getting further into
31:51understanding what was
31:52going on in this war,
31:53but the murders
31:54continue to occur.
31:57Mark Marley was
31:58considered part of the
31:59Sunshine crew, but he
32:00wasn't through the
32:01doors being charged by
32:03detectives at anywhere
32:04near the same rate as
32:06some of the others
32:07involved.
32:08He was part of the
32:09crew, but just at a
32:10different level.
32:12Marley was also a
32:14known associate of
32:16Radev and he became
32:18upset after Nick
32:19Radev's murder and he
32:20was starting to make
32:21inquiries about why
32:22that occurred.
32:23In fact, on one
32:24occasion, we had some
32:27CCTV footage of him
32:29meeting with Andrew
32:30Veneman at Crown
32:31Casino.
32:32They'd often meet
32:33there.
32:34Not only was it
32:35neutral ground, but
32:36they did know there
32:37was cameras, so they
32:38always felt they were
32:38safe.
32:39And we have some
32:40footage of Mark
32:42Marley getting up and
32:43pointing in Andrew
32:45Veneman's chest.
32:46And for us, that was a
32:48bit of a red flag.
32:49We thought, geez, that
32:50he may well be in danger.
32:51And it turns out we
32:53arrived.
32:58Mark Marley was
33:00lured to a house in
33:02Melbourne's north by a
33:03couple of his friends.
33:05When they arrived, laying
33:08there in wait was Andrew
33:09Veneman, Carl Williams and
33:11the runner.
33:13They tortured him, believing
33:16that Marley could give
33:18them access to Nick
33:20Radoff's hidden precursor
33:21chemicals.
33:23He had a soldering iron put
33:25into the roof of his
33:26mouth.
33:27He was bashed repeatedly.
33:31They then put him in the
33:32boot of a car, drove him to
33:35the western suburbs.
33:41Dumped him down a drain and
33:45set him on fire.
33:47Police were contacted at
33:49eight o'clock last night
33:50after fire crews made the
33:51discovery.
33:52They'd been called to put out
33:54flames spotted near a fence on
33:55the sports field.
33:56It was a gruesome and pretty
34:00horrific attack on him trying
34:02to get that information they
34:04thought he had.
34:12SES volunteers joined police
34:14this morning in a line search
34:15of the sports field where the
34:17remains of the dead man were
34:18found.
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 they
34:29drove him from the northern
34:30suburbs to the western
34:31suburbs.
34:32They dumped him in a position
34:34that was not far from Andrew
34:36Vetterman's childhood home.
34:38And for us, that was a sign
34:41that Andrew Vetterman was
34:42getting a little bit more out
34:43of 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 more
35:07bodies.
35:09Nick the Russian Radov, Mark
35:12Mardia and the public execution
35:14of Jason Moran and Pasquale
35:16Barbaro in front of the kids at
35:18Auskick, shocked the nation.
35:21Every killing was more brazen
35:23than the last.
35:24The city's body count was growing
35:26and so was the pressure.
35:29They needed a win and quick.
35:31The police response was to
35:33announce the Piranha Task Force.
35:37They inherited a lead from the
35:39homicide squad, a phone link to
35:41the driver of the getaway car
35:43from the Auskick shooting.
35:45It would be the golden thread.
35:51Once we identified who the
35:54driver was, we went round to
35:57his home in the southern
35:59suburbs of Melbourne and there
36:01parked in the driveway was a
36:03white 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 55
36:32and over time we built on that.
36:35By this stage, we had telephone
36:37intercepts and listening devices.
36:41Someone had to actually listen to all
36:43those hours.
36:44Teams of people were doing that.
36:46The sheer weight of numbers showed
36:49the seriousness Victoria police were
36:51taking this war.
36:53The more information we got in, we
36:56built good intelligence databases.
36:59So in lots of ways, if you had a deck
37:01of cards, we were targeting the
37:03sevens and eights so we could move our
37:05way up to the Ace of Spades, which was
37:07Carl Williams.
37:12We, through our web of electronic
37:14surveillance, got wind that the
37:17runner and the driver were looking for
37:20a clean car that couldn't be traced
37:22back to them.
37:24We worked hard to get an electronic
37:27device into that vehicle.
37:29Unfortunately for us, they noticed one of
37:31the brake lights wasn't working.
37:33They started going through all the
37:34wiring in the car and they found our
37:36device.
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 down
38:06the end of Joy Street, South Yarra in a
38:08laneway.
38:10And we believed that they were actually
38:12going to commit an armed robbery.
38:14But we heard that playing with a gun,
38:18we started to think, oh my God, this might
38:20be something different.
38:23They'd pull into Joy Street.
38:25We hear the driver and the runner talking.
38:47And they accelerate down Joy Street and the runner
38:54says, that's him.
38:56Go, go, go.
38:58No.
39:00Yeah, go.
39:02And then the runner jumps out of the car.
39:19The runner then takes off in a gap between a block
39:24of flats and he gets back into the driver's car
39:27who's waiting for him.
39:28And you hear the driver say quite clearly, get down,
39:33get down.
39:35Get in, get down, get down.
39:38Nice and down, safe down.
39:42And they drove from the scene.
39:44Straight down, you're all right.
39:47Straight down, don't sound right, straight down.
39:49Yeah, I am.
39:53They drove straight back to the driver's house
39:58in the southern suburbs.
40:00Little did they know we had a listening device in there
40:03as well and we overhear them getting rid of their clothes,
40:07getting rid of the gun.
40:08But most importantly, we hear a phone call
40:12where the runner calls Carl Williams and says these words,
40:17Carl, you know that horse you tipped us?
40:19It's just been scratched.
40:23Michael Marshall lived in a beautiful house in South Yarra.
40:28His business, or at least publicly known business,
40:32was a small hot dog van which he operated in South Melbourne.
40:36Marshall was a quiet achiever in terms of the drug world.
40:43But he also had access to precursor chemicals
40:46and he was willing to supply it
40:48to fuel the anivertimen market in Melbourne.
40:56He was out collecting bread rolls with his five-year-old son
41:01for that night for his hot dog van.
41:15You know, sometimes it's easy to look at, you know,
41:19that time where there were just criminals being murdered.
41:22But to do so forgets some of the collateral damage
41:27that's left behind.
41:29Marshall's five-year-old son witnessed his father's murder.
41:33He was standing on the side of the road
41:35and when the uniformed police attended,
41:39he 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 without holding my dad's hand.
41:48And for the police, that was just the most heartbreaking thing
41:53to come out of a five-year-old's mouth
41:55as his father lay in the gutter on the other side of the road,
42:00bleeding 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.
42:21I wanted to let them run all the way to Carl Williams
42:24to get the evidence of them 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, dragged from their vehicle
42:43and it was five minutes later that I arrived
42:47to find them both handcuffed face 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, sensed 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 and 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, but off the record,
43:34he started to indicate he was willing to give information
43:37about Carl Williams and others.
43:39And we knew then that we had our first crack
43:42in, you know, what 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.
44:05You know, if they tell me in the dance,
44:07we've got a dance party, you know.
44:08You generally don't do deals with murderers.
44:11Ready?
44:14Without the driver,
44:16they'd have a problem connecting Williams.
44:19But we could make things happen
44:21if we made a brave decision.
44:24You would be the best person to do that.
44:28You.
44:30Two 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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