Gargasoulas guilty of Bourke St rampage murders
A police recreation of James “Dimitrious” Gargasoulas’ Bourke St rampage has been made public after it took less than one hour for a jury to find him guilty of one of Victoria’s worst mass killings.
Law & Order
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James “Dimitrious” Gargasoulas has been found guilty of killing six people and injuring 27 others in last year’s horrific Bourke St rampage.
It took less than an hour for the 12-person jury to come back with its unanimous verdict after going out for deliberations at 11.43am.
Gargasoulas, 28, had pleaded not guilty to six counts of murder and 27 of reckless conduct endangering life.
HOW AN ORDINARY DAY TURNED TRAGIC
GARGASOULAS HAD ‘PERMISSION’ FROM GOD
Victims and their families wiped away tears as the jury foreman answered “guilty” 33 times as each charge was read out.
Gargasoulas sat quietly in the dock, bouncing his legs as he stared ahead.
The verdict was a welcome relief for the victims and their families who had waited almost two years for justice.
Families of the victims gathered in a room in the Supreme Court building after the verdict where they could be heard cheering and clapping.
Gargasoulas was originally charged with 27 counts of attempted murder, but had them downgraded to reckless conduct endangering life ahead of his trial.
Director of Public Prosecutions Kerri Judd QC had earlier told the jury: “This is the clearest case of criminal liability that you will ever come across.
The only time I saw Gargasoulas look agitated in court was after today’s guilty verdict and the very real prospect he will never taste freedom again. He thought he could beat the system but failed. In doing so he prolonged the Hell he’s already caused so many. Pure evil. pic.twitter.com/p92S8g5Cnp
— Shannon Deery (@s_deery) November 13, 2018
“There is no issue of identity. The conduct itself is captured on the CCTV.
“There is no real issue as to any of the elements that make up each of the various offences.
“There is no positive defence available.”
The short one-week trial heard evidence from police officers, eyewitnesses, and in a rare move, even Gargasoulas himself.
Jurors grimaced and gasped — some were brought to tears — as they watched CCTV, frame-by-frame, of each victim being struck, including three-month-old Zachary Matthew-Bryant who died from head injuries after being thrown 68m from his pram.
His sister Zara, 2, was also in the pram, which became wedged in the bonnet, carrying her along for more than 150m before the insert fell out with her still strapped inside.
She miraculously survived.
Confronting footage showing a man injured with a broken leg crawling back to his fatally-injured friend, Yosuke Kanno, 25, after they were both struck from behind, was also played.
Victoria Police recreated Gargasoulas’ deadly rampage, which has since been made public.
Schoolgirl Thalia Hakin, 10, could be seen holding her mother’s hand, her sister skipping along beside them, when they were all struck on their way to a magic show.
She died. Her mother and sister were seriously injured.
Respected architect Matthew Si, 33, Deloitte financial consultant Bhavita Patel, 33, and Jessica Mudie, 22 were also among the dead.
Families of the victims of the Bourke Street rampage welcomed today’s verdict according to their lawyer, Genna Angelowitsch from Adviceline Injury Lawyers.
“Today, the jury formally recognised that on 20 January 2017, James Gargasoulas murdered six innocent people and recklessly endangered the lives of 27 others,” Ms Angelowitsch said.
“His callous actions on that day shattered the lives of the family and friends whose loved ones he stole.
“The families of the victims are grateful to all those whose hard work secured today’s outcome, and for the ongoing support they have received during this difficult time. They appreciate the continued respect of their privacy as they prepare for the sentencing process.”
Adviceline Injury Lawyers represent the families of five of the victims: Zachary Matthew-Bryant, Jess Mudie, Matthew Si, Bhavita Patel and Yosuke Kanno.
A survivor of the rampage welcomed the jury’s guilty verdict on all charges.
Erin Shi was on life support in hospital for 26 days with head and lung injuries after being struck by Gargasoulas’ car near the Commonwealth Bank on the corner of Elizabeth and Bourke streets.
Ms Shi, 18, said she was “relieved at the verdict delivered by the jury today”.
“I hope that it provides some comfort and closure to others who were affected by what happened on that day,” she said.
“Although I don’t remember much of what happened on that day in Bourke St, my family and I live with its consequences every minute of every day.
“I’ve lost over a year of my life to rehabilitation, however I continue to work on my recovery each day in the hope that I will one day be able to get back to the quality of life that I had prior to the accident.
“I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me throughout this process, and those who’ve worked hard to secure today’s outcome.”
Her mother, Jiana Zheng, said she would be “watching the sentencing”.
“I’ll never forget the sight of Erin in the hospital bed, her whole body covered in tubes, and doctors telling me there was no hope for her life,” she said.
In the witness box, Gargasoulas did not deny his involvement.
“Yes,” he said, without hesitation, when asked if he accepted killing six people and injuring 27 others on January 20, 2017.
But when it came to explaining why, his response was not as clear.
He went off on a bizarre rant, talking about premonitions, how he was a member of the Illimunati and how he had permission from God to run people over.
Justice Mark Weinberg had to interject several times throughout his evidence, saying he was going “really off track”.
Gargasoulas said he was on a mission to go to Sydney to “reinstate God’s royal laws of liberty”.
“I knew that a comet relating to Judgment Day was coming to burn … the earth,” he said.
Often appearing confused, and asking his barrister Dr Theo Alexander to repeat questions, he said he was trying to escape police when he sped through the busy shopping mall, leaving a trail of destruction in his path.
“I wasn’t intending to kill anyone,” he said.
As Gargasoulas started talking about the Koran and how it is against oppression, Justice Weinberg said: “This is getting a little remote.”
Gargasoulas also took the opportunity to apologise to the victims and their families.
“I apologise from my heart,” Gargasoulas said. “But that’s not going to fix anything if I say sorry. Neither would a lengthy sentence fix what I have done.”
He said the death penalty should be reinstated as “that’s true justice”.
Gargasoulas is facing life behind bars. Justice Weinberg will sentence him at a later date.