Salvatore Rotiroti murder: Calls for ‘new eyes’ and fresh police probe on 35 year-old cold case

A formal complaint over police misconduct has been brought to the anti corruption watchdog in relation to the painful unsolved murder of a Geelong man 35 years ago.

Vince and Sam Rotiroti and Vince Zangari (inset).

A formal complaint over police misconduct has been brought to the anti corruption watchdog in relation to the painful unsolved murder of a Geelong man 35 years ago.

Salvatore Rotiroti, 46, was found beaten to death in his Manifold Heights driveway in 1988 with his alleged killer, or killers, yet to face justice despite damning initial evidence.

It comes as the family of the slain concreter, also known as Sam, call for “new eyes and a fresh look” into his death.

Murder victim Salvatore Rotiroti

This masthead understands the Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission is currently deciding whether a complaint made against an officer previously involved in the case warrants further investigation.

Anna Rotiroti, whose husband, Vince Rotiroti, discovered his father’s body in a pool of blood after leaving her house late on the same night, has issued a plea to the homicide squad to reinterview all witnesses.

“I’m no copper but a normal person reading the case files can see who it was,” she said.

“That is the saddest part, and here we are 35 years later with no closure.

“We need all new people on this. Everything needs to be re-examined.”

Vince Zangari, then 21, was charged with Rotiroti’s murder less than a month after his death.

Vince Zangari.

He gave five statements to police, each with wildly differing details and fabrications. His friend and pro boxer, Mirko Ecimovic, would also give three contradictory statements to detectives regarding alibis for the time of the killing.

Yet a year later the case against him crumbled.

Witnesses who had first implicated Mr Zangari suddenly had a change of heart, pulling their statements and refusing to testify.

Homicide detectives believe they were intimidated.

The course of events has remained inexplicable to Vince and Anna Rotiroti ever since.

“All the people interviewed at the time need to be interviewed again,” she said.

“But with age and more brains maybe they are not scared of talking now.”

Vince Rotiroti has not spoken a word to his own mum, brothers and sisters after they withdrew their version of events to police three-and-half decades ago.

They’re all still believed to be in Mr Zangari’s orbit, who has since changed his name and is living in Sydney.

A $1m reward remains on the table from Victoria Police for information about Sam’s death.

Originally published as Salvatore Rotiroti murder: Calls for ‘new eyes’ and fresh police probe on 35 year-old cold case