Anthony Costanzo fronts court over death of an elderly man
A former police officer turned meth head has given evidence in the case of a man charged with killing a 76-year-old whose body was discovered in a car in Doncaster East.
Outer East
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A Melbourne man will this week learn whether he’ll be committed to trial for allegedly murdering 76-year-old Peter Row whose body was discovered hanging out of the side of a car.
Anthony Costanzo, 36, of Bulleen, was charged with murder more than six months after residents at Tidcombe Cres in Doncaster East found the body of the 76-year-old Blackburn North man on September 4, 2023.
A four-day committal hearing began in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday and the prosecution’s first witness was former police officer turned meth head Jamie Robert McKenzie.
He was homeless at the time and told police he went to Red Hill Apartments on September 3, 2023 — a day before the man’s body was discovered — where he smoked a small quantity of methamphetamine.
He was with a person at the apartments when Mr Costanzo rang the latter with concerns about something.
Mr McKenzie said he then went out onto the road and picked up a steel gate because he believed Mr Costanzo was in trouble.
He then placed the gate on the ground which partially blocked the path of a Holden Commodore and said to the driver “what the f--- are you going to do?”
It was a pretty “high stress” situation, he told the court.
After the car had driven off, Mr McKenzie said he and Mr Costanzo had an argument and were restrained by another person.
Defence lawyer Georgina Connelly questioned Mr McKenzie about his drug use, his state of mind, and the criminal charges he faced over the years.
Ms Connelly asked him whether he believed he acted rationally when he picked up the steel gate, Mr McKenzie said he was unsure.
But he admitted that he experienced psychosis due to drug taking and certain occasions made him paranoid and affected his memory.
Mr McKenzie said it wasn’t until the day after the body was discovered that he saw in the news that someone had died.
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