Ron Medich sentenced for murder of Michael McGurk and intimidation of widow
MILLIONAIRE property developer Ron Medich has been sentenced to a minimum of almost 30 years for the 2009 contract killing of his business enemy Michael McGurk, meaning he will be two months’ shy of his 100th birthday when he becomes eligible for parole.
NSW
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MILLIONAIRE property developer Ron Edward Medich has been sentenced to a maximum 39 years’ jail for the “abhorrent and heinous” murder of his business enemy Michael McGurk and the subsequent intimidation of his widow.
Medich, now 70, will be two months shy of his 100th birthday if he lives to the day he is eligible for parole.
At Medich’s request, father-of-four McGurk, 45, was shot dead in front of a young relative as he climbed out of his Mercedes near his Cremorne home on the night of September 3, 2009.
Today McGurk’s widow Kimberley and her four children hugged one another and cried after learning Medich had been sentenced to a maximum of 39 years’ jail and a non-parole period of 30 years for his crimes.
Upon hearing his fate, Medich — dressed in a black suit, white shirt and grey tie — looked down and sighed before he was whisked down to the cells beneath the court by corrective service officers.
BACKGROUND:
Medich goes from millionaire digs to prison cell
Undercover cop exposes plot to throw Medich trial
Key players in the murder of Michael McGurk
He was later seen being led out of the court complex in handcuffs with the fly of his trousers noticeably undone.
Medich first ordered for McGurk to be killed after a series of protracted legal battles and because he believed he was owed millions of dollars.
But it took nine years and two trials before Medich was finally found guilty of the murder by a jury in April.
He was also found guilty of the subsequent intimidation of McGurk’s widow Kimberley, which the trial judge today described as “breathtakingly callous, inherently ruthless”.
What the judge had to say
In handing down the sentence Justice Geoffrey Bellew described the murder as “aborrehent and heinous” and “demonstrat(ing) objective criminality and moral culpability of the highest order”.
“Directing and financing the killing of another human being is a fundamentally abhorrent and heinous crime,” Justice Bellew said to the packed gallery of the NSW Supreme Court’s historic King Street courtroom.
“The offender treated the life of Mr McGurk of being as no value at all and something of which he could simply dispose when he thought it was in his way,” he said.
Justice Bellew also found the motive for McGurk’s murder was Medich’s “deep-seated hatred” following a series of soured business deals and ongoing legal battles.
“I am satisfied that by the early part of 2009, the decline in the relationship between the offender and Mr McGurk, characterised by their continuing disputes and associated litigation, had led the offender to form a deep-seated hatred for Mr McGurk and provided a motive for him to want to have Mr McGurk killed,” he said.
He said the fact Medich had many months to withdraw his directions to have McGurk killed and did not do so showed “an unwavering determination on his part to have Mr McGurk murdered”.
Justice Bellew also said Mrs McGurk and her four children had been subjected to “the most severe, emotional upheavals that could ever possibly be imagined”.
“Each of them was shockingly confronted with the violent, sudden and unexpected death of their obviously much-loved father,” he said.
How Medich came undone
Medich was brought unstuck by his close friend, former Qantas steward and one-time boxer Fortunato “Lucky” Gattellari, who gave evidence against him during the murder trial.
Gattellari was handed a reduced 7.5 year sentence for his role in organising two hitmen to take out McGurk.
During the trial the court heard Medich baulked at the price it would cost to have his former business partner murdered but was determined to have him bumped off in order to claw back the millions of dollars he believed was owed to him.
“He’s got to go, I’ll get you the money,” Medich said to Gattellari — as they stood in their shared office at Leichhardt.
“This f***ing bastard is ruining my life,” he said.
Gattellari also explained to the jury how Medich was “humiliated” about being the laughing stock of the eastern suburbs and was raving about the cost of the legal disputes he was embroiled in with McGurk.
“People in the eastern suburbs think I’m a fool,” he said.
Gattellari told the court Medich had first asked him to organise the murder when the pair spoke at their shared office in Leichhardt.
During his evidence Gattellari said Medich had asked him if he could “possibly help him to find someone to kill the bastard”.
Gattellari said he asked Medich, “Are you sure you know what you are saying — are you sure you want to do that … there is no coming back from this Ron”.
He claims Medich responded, “F***king oath I do, if you can’t do it I’ll have to find someone else to help me.”
Other witnesses throughout the trial testified about Medich’s hatred towards McGurk, recalling the choice words used to describes him.
Medich was overheard saying McGurk was a, “c**t,” “motherf**ker” and a “conman”.
Three other men have pleaded guilty and been sentenced for their roles in the contract killing.
Other players involved in the murder
Gattellari’s driver and former Bosnian soldier Senad Kaminic pleaded guilty to being an accessory after murder and has already served his minimum 2½ year sentence, which was severely discounted in return for giving police assistance.
The teenage getaway car driver Christopher “The Kid” Estephan and the “likely shooter” Haissam Safetli also pleaded guilty and have been sentenced for their roles.
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