Detectives find suspected getaway car involved in murder of Mark Boyce, allegedly by bikies in 2017
After two days of searching and digging at a Hells Angels Murray Mallee property, police have unearthed a burnt-out car they believe was involved in a 2017 murder.
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Detectives have unearthed a burnt-out car at a notorious Hells Angels property, which they say was used as a getaway vehicle in a 2017 murder.
The fire-damaged Toyota Echo was found 5m underground during the second day of an extensive search of a property at Ponde, near Mannum about 100km east of Adelaide.
Detective Superintendent Des Bray, officer in charge of Major Crime, described the find as “significant”.
“It’s one of the vehicles that we believe the offenders went to the scene in and they left the scene in that vehicle,” he said.
“Finding this car (was) very, very important.”
The car has been connected the 2017 bashing murder of Mark Boyce in Elizabeth South.
Earlier this year, Hells Angels associate Joshua Roy Grant, 27, was found guilty by a jury of Mr Boyce’s murder. However, two other suspects are yet to be charged.
Det Supt Bray said despite the car being torched, it would still help police close in on the two remaining suspects wanted over Mr Boyce’s death.
“I think they should take no comfort in the fact that the vehicle is burnt out,” he said.
“If they think that’s destroyed evidence, that’s destroyed some of the evidence but not all of the evidence and we believe we can take the investigation forward.”
The car will be towed from the scene on Wednesday evening.
Police on Tuesday morning began a search at a 15ha property at Ponde, 90 minutes from Adelaide, for a second day in an effort to find firearms and a Toyota Echo linked to four murders.
Det Supt Bray said police wouldn’t commit such a large amount of resources unless there was a “responsible prospect” of finding what they were looking for.
“(This is) despite the obvious challenges of searching the large, scrubby, undulating property,” Det-Supt Bray said.
‘What this does show is that some 20 years later we have got new information — there is always information out there and we never consider cases such as these closed,” he said.
As well as finding the Echo, they also found other vehicles unrelated to the homicide investigations.
They found a 1988 Toyota Hilux Ute that had been stolen from Magill in 2000; a yellow 1984 Mitsubishi tip truck that was taken from outside the Two Wells Tavern in 2001; and a small bobcat.
Police are continuing to do checks on the bobcat but suspect it too was stolen.
The discoveries came after officers found two firearms – which are now being forensically tested – ammunition and a stolen truck at the 15ha Murray Mallee property on Tuesday.
Det-Supt Bray said the large scale search was prompted after police received new information on the 1999 shooting murders of Rebels members Graham Nixon, 33, Sinibaldo Palombi, 35, and Hubert Western, 32.
The trio were gunned down outside their clubrooms in Wright St in the city. The incident is considered Adelaide’s bloodiest bikie battle.
Three senior Hells Angels members were swiftly arrested and charged with multiple counts of murder but the case against them eventually crumbled due to the bikie code of silence.
“We will continue as long as necessary to complete a thorough and comprehensive search of this property,” Det-Supt Bray said.
“We have no doubt illegal firearms are on this property, but to find firearms on a property of this size is a mammoth task.”
A man, who on Tuesday tried to flee the Ponde property as police arrived, has not been charged with any offences.
The Hells Angels property is used for bikie events including concerts, drag races and fundraising events and features a skid pan, motorcycle jumps and a racetrack.
“In addition to those matters, we’re aware this property has been used in the past, and is currently being used, to store illegal firearms,” he said.
Nine separate zones within the property, including buildings and areas of scrubland, were searched on Tuesday.
Police used excavators, ground-penetrating radars, dogs and horses as part of their campaign.
