Hells Angels bikies arrested in raids across Adelaide over the murder of Jason De Ieso in 2012
A contender for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is among six people charged over the 2012 murder of a Pooraka panel beater, whose only mistake, police say, was maintaining a childhood friendship.
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A well-known South Australian sporting figure is among five current or former Hells Angels bikies charged with the 2012 shooting murder of Mr Jason De Ieso.
The man, a title-winning competitor in his chosen sport, was a contender for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics until his arrest on Friday afternoon by a secret taskforce formed to investigate the violent cold-case murder.
In an unprecedented operation, teams of Major Crime and Crime Gangs Task Force detectives – with STAR Group support – raided numerous Adelaide homes and arrested the five men – three of them brothers.
A woman was also arrested on the Gold Coast.
The Reynella woman, 26, has been charged with assisting an offender. She will be extradited to Adelaide on Saturday.
Those charged with murder are a Clovelly Park man, 30, a Lightsview man, 34, a Goodwood man, 31, a Mile End man, 28 and a St Morris man, 26.
Major Crime Investigation Branch officer-in-charge detective Superintendent Des Bray said the arrests were a significant part of the operation but intensive investigations would continue for some time with more arrests likely.
He said a further three suspects were still being investigated but another had taken their life since the “senseless and needless’’ 2012 murder of Mr De Ieso.
“Jason’s only mistake was being a loyal person, he maintained a friendship with a childhood friend and that person went on to become a Fink,’’ he said.
“That relationship ultimately cost Jason his life.’’
Supt Bray said the inquiry had examined a series of events prior to the murder, including the firebombing of a home the night before at Parafield Gardens.
He said those charged were “blaming the wrong person’’ for that incident and the Finks bikie they were seeking was not involved.
“Not only did they have the wrong person, they then killed an innocent person because of stupid gang violence,’’ he said.
The operation, led by specialist detectives who have spent the past decade investigating the activities of Hells Angels bikies in SA, has been one of the largest ever conducted by SA police.
Those arrested in Friday morning’s raids were among the nine men – all Hells Angels members or associates – who stormed into Mr De Ieso’s Pooraka panel beating business on November 21, 2012.
Five of the men were armed with handguns and fired a volley of shots inside the workshop — one hitting Mr De Ieso in the head and killing him instantly.
In 2017, The Advertiser revealed a senior Finks bikie was the target of the group of men — who at the time were just Hells Angels nominees.
Finks member Charlie Bonnici had left the workshop just 10 minutes before the nine men burst into Unique Custom Paint & Panel.
The fatal shooting was the culmination of four days of violent feuding between Hells Angels north crew wannabes and members of the Finks.
While Mr De Ieso knew several members of the Finks, because they used his spray-painting skills, he was not an associate or intending to become a member.
Major Crime detectives identified the nine men who stormed into Mr De Ieso’s workshop early in the investigation, but the inquiry has been plagued by the refusal of any witnesses to give evidence against them.
As part of the inquiry, several men were summonsed to appear before coercive hearings conducted by the Australian Crime and Intelligence Commission.
Those charged this morning had allegedly been involved in several violent incidents in the days prior to the shooting as they feuded with Finks members.
These included a violent brawl at a kickboxing tournament, the firebombing of a house occupied by one of the charged men and the trashing of a tattoo parlour a short time before the shooting.
The nine men also had been seeking Mr Bonnici at the tattoo parlour but had narrowly missed catching him there, prompting their visit to Mr De Ieso’s workshop about 30 minutes later.
Since the shooting of Mr De Ieso, six of the suspects have become full members of the Hells Angels.
As part of the operation, considerable forensic work was carried out to obtain clearer images from security camera vision of the suspects taken at the shooting scene.
The murder of Mr De Ieso devastated his family, who have made several appeals for public help in solving the crime since it occurred.
“There are people who know who they are,’’ his brother Dino De Ieso has stated.
“They are walking the streets every day and that hurts, knowing that these people are still out there laughing and smiling.
“Our life has changed forever. He deserves better than this.’’
The De Ieso inquiry has been one of the most difficult tackled by detectives as part of Major Crime’s Operation Persist cold case initiative.
Unlike the vast majority of murders committed, detectives have had a long list of suspects, multiple witnesses, a clear motive and considerable evidence — and yet it has proven difficult to crack.
While a $500,000 reward has been available, it has not prompted any of the witnesses or accomplices to co-operate with police due fears of retribution by gang members.
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