Stacey Klimovitch: The chilling text messages before grandmother’s alleged murder
A court has heard allegations of how Stuart Daniel Campbell had nicknamed Stacey Klimovitch’s alleged assassin “Sicario”, a title used by Mexican drug cartels meaning “hitman” days before her death.
Newcastle
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The alleged mastermind of the Stacey Klimovitch execution murder nicknamed his contract killer “Sicario Soldero” - Spanish terms used within Latin American drug cartels for hitmen and soldiers - in a text message six days before the shotgun slaying, court documents allege.
A statement of police facts, tendered for the first time when Jason Paul Hawkins appeared in Queanbeyan Local Court on Tuesday to formally face a murder charge, also detailed the “mutual hatred” between Stuart Daniel Campbell and the alleged victim which festered for months in the lead up to Stacey Klimovitch’s death.
Ms Klimovitch, who was the mother of Mr Campbell’s ex-girlfriend, died after being blasted in the chest as she opened the front door of her Stockton home on June 9.
Police allege Mr Campbell had employed Mr Hawkins to “execute” the 61-year-old grandmother and called in a favour from a former high-ranking bikie to drive the assassin to and from the crime scene.
The police facts allege a dispute relating to family issues had simmered before a confrontation more than two months before the murder saw Ms Klimovitch slap Mr Campbell across the face and warn him away from her family.
Mr Campbell is alleged to have fired off a text message to his ex-girlfriend, Ms Klimovitch’s daughter Alex, after being slapped in the face with a chilling warning.
“Its quite simple: that house ... and your wellbeing is not dictated by your mother… Your mum will realise the only thing she’s in control of is the slippers she puts on in the morning,’’ Mr Campbell is alleged to have sent a short time after the March 31 encounter.
Four weeks later, on April 27, Campbell is alleged to have sent Alex a text which read, in part: “‘Im sorry I don’t forgive your mum as easily as you do, but let’s face the fact that shes a piece of shit; and as you have said many times before; “a miserable old woman who should be dead by now but isn’t” and ‘I don’t have anything to apologise for. The actions and threats from your mum left the door open,” the police facts alleged.
The texts were allegedly recovered from one of a series of phones seized when Mr Campbell was arrested on unrelated gun charges the morning after Ms Klimovitch’s alleged murder.
Also allegedly found were text messages to Hawkins six days before the alleged murder.
“In one message the accused Mr Campbell sent to the accused Mr Hawkins on the 03 June 2021, he referred to him as ‘Sicario Soldaro’,’’ the police facts alleged.
“Sicario is a Latin American word which means ‘a hired gunman or assassin’.
“Investigators allege the term ‘Soldaro’ is supposed to read, ‘Soldado’ which is a Latin American Soldier.’’
The police facts also outlined the lead-up to the alleged murder, where Mr Hawkins drove up from Canberra to an Argenton house, where Mr Campbell was spending time at.
CCTV allegedly caught Mr Hawkins wearing the same clothes the killer is seen to be wearing in security camera footage from a nearby house as he walks along Queen St while putting gloves on.
Police allege Mr Campbell called in a favour from Stephen John Garland, the 54-year-old former national treasurer of the Nomads bikie gang, to drive Mr Hawkins to Stockton.
Mr Garland was arrested last Thursday on unrelated drug offences. He has not been charged in relation to Ms Klimovitch’s death.
But police allege that as Mr Garland drove Mr Hawkins to Stockton, Mr Campbell drove to Edgeworth McDonalds, travelling through the drive-through a short time before Ms Klimovitch’s death which police allege was “a carefully crafted and deliberate act by the accused Campbell to create an alibi for himself.’’
“At 8.07pm, the accused Hawkins knocked on the door and called out ‘Stacey’,’’ the police facts allege.
“The victim opened the main wooden door, leaving the screen door closed.
“At point blank range, and without saying anything else, the accused Hawkins executed her by discharging one round from the shotgun which penetrated the screen door, striking the victim in the chest.’’
The police facts allege the killer escaped through a neighboring yard to the getaway vehicle.
Mr Campbell and Mr Hawkins were arrested within hours of each other on Friday following a 24-week investigation into the alleged murder by Strike Force Backhouse detectives.
Mr Campbell was taken into custody on Honeysuckle Drive near Hannell St, while Mr Hawkins was arrested in the Canberra suburb of Chisholm.
Mr Campbell declined to be interviewed while Mr Hawkins denied he was the killer after being extradited from ACT to Queanbeyan on Monday.
Police facts allege Mr Hawkins told them he was being set up by Mr Campbell and a person he called “the puppet master”.
Mr Hawkins faced Queanbeyan Local Court on Tuesday where he was formally refused bail.
As he left the courtroom, Mr Hawkins said: “I love you, look after the baby” to his daughter who was seated in the public gallery.
“I love you too,’’ his daughter replied while tearing up.
Mr Hawkins will appear in Newcastle Local Court via videolink on December 2.
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