Name: Anonymous 2008-03-17 19:50
Melbourne gangland killings were the killings of 34 criminal figures or wives in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in a series of retributional murders involving various underworld groups between January 16, 1998 and February 7, 2006. The deaths caused a sustained power vacuum within Melbourne's criminal community, as various factions fought for control and influence. The majority of the murders are still unsolved, although police from the Purana Taskforce believe that Carl Williams was responsible for ten of them. The period culminated in the arrest of Carl Williams, who pleaded guilty to three counts of murder on February 28, 2007. As part of a deal which will see Williams out of prison after he turns 70, police will not charge him with the other seven murders they believe he committed.[1]
Since the confession of Williams, the ultimate source of the violence has become public knowledge. While meeting with Jason Moran and his half brother Mark Moran on October 13 1999 at a suburban park, Jason Moran shot Carl Williams in the stomach over a dispute about money earned in the amphetamine trade. Through the period after his run-in with the Moran family Williams commenced a war with the aim of killing all of the Moran clan.[2]
The murder of former lawyer Mario Condello on February 6th, 2006, caused speculation of a possible resurgence in the killings, although this was denied by police.[3]
Since the confession of Williams, the ultimate source of the violence has become public knowledge. While meeting with Jason Moran and his half brother Mark Moran on October 13 1999 at a suburban park, Jason Moran shot Carl Williams in the stomach over a dispute about money earned in the amphetamine trade. Through the period after his run-in with the Moran family Williams commenced a war with the aim of killing all of the Moran clan.[2]
The murder of former lawyer Mario Condello on February 6th, 2006, caused speculation of a possible resurgence in the killings, although this was denied by police.[3]