Broken hearts as family and friends farewell Jason De Ieso
HUNDREDS of mourners stood on the steps of St Francis of Assisi Church to farewell Jason De Ieso - the latest casualty of Adelaide's bikie wars.
HUNDREDS of mourners stood on the steps of Newton's St Francis of Assisi Church to farewell Jason De Ieso - the latest casualty of Adelaide's vicious bikie wars and one of 23 people to meet with foul play in South Australia this year.
A customised Harley-Davidson stood outside the church as De Ieso's family and friends bade farewell in an hour-long service for the 33-year-old, who died when gunmen stormed into Unique Custom Paint & Panel, Pooraka, and gunned him down in front of workmates on November 21.
As the bells tolled, De Ieso's casket was carried out and placed in a waiting hearse before his final trip to nearby Payneham cemetery. There was no obvious bikie presence at the church, no tribe in leather jackets or colours.
A low-key police presence stood watch from a distance - the only sign that this was a different funeral to hundreds of others held around Adelaide every month.
Jason De Ieso's death is one of only five to remain unsolved this year, one of two that is bikie-related. De Ieso was not a member of a gang but worked on bikes for Finks' members.
The other unsolved murder related to outlaw motorcycle gangs is the shooting death of Giovanni Focarelli, in January at Dry Creek, in front of his father and former Comanchero gang member Vince Focarelli.
Vince Focarelli is now behind bars for drug trafficking, but is sticking to the bikie "code of silence" and won't co-operate with police, even if it means finding the killer of his own son.
Focarelli has survived six attempts on his life in the past three years.
SA Police has an impressive record in tracking down murderers and getting them off the street. The alleged murderer of the two women killed in Quorn this week is already in custody.
Adelaide University crime expert David Caruso said organised crime and its code of silence - coupled with witnesses' fear of providing evidence - meant prosecutions were difficult.
"When talking about people involved in organised crime, the last thing they want to do is have their activities scrutinised by police," said Mr Caruso, the foundation director of the Advocacy and Justice Unit.
"They have a `code of ethics' that such crimes will be resolved by them and not a third party and it certainly seems there have been killings which are proving difficult to resolve."
Police Operation Alpha was formed after De Ieso was killed.
There has yet to be a breakthrough and police have acknowledged the difficulties dealing with outlaw motorcycle gang crime.
"The reluctance of some witnesses to co-operate in (outlaw gang) related investigations causes difficulties for investigators," police media manager Inspector Brett Foster said.
"Notwithstanding this code of silence, Major Crime investigators have been able to arrest and charge a senior Finks member and two others with the murder of Michael Varehov in June this year.
"Those three people are currently remanded in custody and are before the courts."
Insp Foster said the investigation into Focarelli's murder "is ongoing".
"The main eye witness (Vince Focarelli) has refused to co-operate with police, which has significantly hindered the investigation," he said.
The Di Ieso murder investigation was also ongoing, with "detectives following up a number of lines of inquiry," Insp Foster said.
MURDERS IN SA DURING 2012
There have been 23 murdeers in the state since Januar. Five of those remain unsolved.
JAYSON DOELZ, 27
Body found: At Kersbrook on January 11. Status: Unsolved.
BRENDAN-JUNIOR "BJ" NATHAN WILLIAMS, 2
Killed: At Melrose Park on January 14. Status: Brock Powell, 24, charged with murder.
PAUL CLEM AINS, 56
Body found: At Davoren Park on February 18. Status: Unsolved.
ARTHUR WILSON, 83
DORRIS WILSON, 85
Bodies found: At Gilles Plains. Status: Suspected murder-suicide.
CHRISTOPHER BENNET SANDISON, 40
PHILLIP JONATHAN THOMAS, 41
Bodies found: At Sandalwood, in Murray Mallee, on April 30. Status: 43-year-old man arrested.
ROBERT COLLINS, 80
SHARON WAKE, 60
Bodies found: At Arno Bay on April 22. Status: Suspected murder-suicide.
GRAHAM MIEGLICH, 56
Killed: Shot dead at Charleston on June 6. Status: Christopher Robert Mieglich, 20, arrested and charged.
SAMUEL DAVEY, 34
Body found: At Pasadena on August 2. Status: Thomas Cavanagh, 31, charged over the stabbing.
MICHAEL VAREHOV, 45
Body found: In Kuitpo Forest on June 7. Status: Two women and one man charged over the murder.
CHRISTOPHER HATZIS, 19
Killed: In Light Square, city, on August 5. Status: Two men, 22 and 18, charged with murder.
TADEUSZ LIGAS, 55
Body found: At Torrensville on August 30. Status: Unsolved.
WHYALLA WOMAN, AGE UNKNOWN
Body found: October 1. Status: Richard James Webb charged with murder.
TWO MALES, AGE UNKNOWN
Bodies found: At Morphett Vale on October 3. Status: Possible murder-suicide.
JESSIE ANN WILSON, 24
Body found: At Hillier on October 8. Status: 39-year-old man charged with murder.
UNKNOWN MAN, 33
Body found: At Thevenard on November 15. Status: Barry Walter Coleman charged with murder.
JASON DE IESO, 33
Killed: Shot dead at Pooraka. Status: Unsolved.
JASINTA-LEIGH FULLERTON, 22
REBECCA WILD, 16
Bodies found: At Quorn on December 4-5. Status: 19-year-old man charged with murder.