Melbourne dad’s vile act before killing daughter and her husband

Chilling details have been aired in court of how a Melbourne father killed his daughter and son-in-law, including one vile act.

A Melbourne father who lurked for nearly two hours outside the house of his estranged daughter before gunning her down had previously severed his own finger and mailed it to his ex-wife.

Osman Shaptafaj also fatally shot his daughter’s husband at close range as the newlywed couple returned from their first wedding anniversary and brought their holiday bags from an Uber to the front door of their Yarraville home.

The 57-year-old pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court of Victoria to murdering his daughter Lindita and her husband, Veton Musai, and on Wednesday faced a pre-sentence hearing.

Chilling details of the crime were read out in court where it was revealed Mr Shaptafaj had heard “third hand” about the wedding of his estranged daughter.

The court heard the Altona man had first circled the Salisbury St home in his car multiple times about 8.30am on December 31, 2019, before he then parked and waited for Lindita and Mr Musai to return home.

Veton Musai, 29, and Lindita Musai, 25, were remembered as loving family members.

The couple arrived in an Uber about 10.30am from a weekend stay in the CBD where they had celebrated their first wedding anniversary, the court heard.

It was after the pair had grabbed their bags from the rideshare vehicle and were making their way to the front door when Mr Shaptafaj got out of his car, walked up behind them and shot them both in the head.

Family members at home at the time opened the front door when they heard the gunshots and then saw Mr Shaptafaj hold a gun to his own head, the court heard.

Mr Shaptafaj then fled the scene to a nearby golf course where he then shot himself twice in the head.

He was rushed to hospital and survived.

Lindita died at the scene and Mr Musai died the next day at The Alfred.

Veton Musai and Lindita Musai had returned home from a trip to celebrate their first wedding anniversary, when they were gunned down.

Mr Musai’s brother, Drilon, addressed the court on Wednesday morning and choked back tears as he recalled the horrific incident.

“I arrived at the scene to see my father, who was the rock of our family, crumpled in a heap on the street, my mother was buckled over in a trance screaming,” he told the court.

“Seeing my younger brother colour drained sitting on the gutter and seeing my wife pale … seeing my family broken in a heap in front of me and knowing your life was never going to be the same but the worst of it was knowing that it never would.

“I never thought at 31 (years old) I would be sitting in a hospital room with my younger brother there laying in front of me on life support and having to tell the nurses to switch off the machine so I could finally let him pass.

“I didn’t lose two family members that day, I lost my whole family.”

Arben Shaptafaj walked Lindita Musai down the aisle when she got married. Picture: Supplied

Mr Shaptafaj was estranged from his daughter and son Arben after his marriage ended in 2009.

It also emerged in court that Mr Shaptafaj had previously severed his own finger and mailed it to his ex-wife, along with a letter.

Defence lawyer Tanya Skortsova confirmed the incident occurred and was recorded in Mr Shaptafaj’s son’s police statement, but did not form part of the evidence in the case of Ms and Mr Musai’s murder.

Ms Skortsova said Mr Shaptafaj had “deeply mourned the loss of his family unit” following the divorce, and was suffering from a “major depressive disorder” at the time he committed the double murder.

The court also heard he had become “highly socially reclusive” after a motorcycle accident left him unable to work.

“This inability meant he was cut off from the only remaining connection to the outside world,” Ms Skortsova said.

Justice Andrew Tinney described the offending as “calculated and planned” and questioned how Mr Shaptafaj’s ill mental health clouded his judgment on December 31, 2019.

“The accused armed himself with a loaded handgun and went off in search of and to lay and wait for his daughter from whom he had been estranged for 10 years … He came up behind them and shot them in the head.

“This seems to be calculated, planned behaviour directed towards people walking towards their home, and for his own reasons of which felt aggrieved.

“What’s the state of depression got to do with that?”

A large gathering of friends and family attended the funeral forVeton Musai and his wife Lindita. Picture: Sarah Matray

Ms Skortsova asked the Judge to consider a non-parole period that would give Mr Shaptafaj a “glimmer of hope he won’t die in jail”.

She asked Justice Tinney to consider Mr Shaptafaj’s guilty plea, which saved the case going to trial.

Justice Tinney said there was “surely every prospect he will die in prison whatever reasonable sentence could possibly be passed”.

Prosecutor Catherine Parkes said Mr Shaptafaj was “clearly angry” towards the victims and carried out an “inconceivable act”.

“As a father he had a duty to protect her (Ms Musai), not cause her harm,” she told the court.

“They were much loved and cherished by their family and friends – there's incredible loss and suffering.”

Mr Shaptafaj pleaded guilty to two charges of murder in February of this year.

The maximum sentence for the crimes is life in prison.

Mr Shaptafaj was remanded into custody and expected to face sentencing at a later date next year.

Originally published as Melbourne dad’s vile act before killing daughter and her husband