Man guilty of killing Melbourne dressmaker in broad daylight
A burglar who shot dead a dressmaker in his hallway after barging into his Melbourne home has been found guilty of the shocking broad daylight murder.
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A burglar who shot dead a dressmaker during a Melbourne home invasion has been found guilty of his broad daylight killing.
Lawrence Michael Duca, 46, denied murdering Phong The Vuong, 49, at his Deer Park home on June 16, 2017.
But a Supreme Court jury today accepted he pulled the trigger of his 12-gauge shotgun twice, sending a spray of pellets into the chest of Mr Vuong, following a struggle in the doorway of the Erin Square property about 3pm.
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They could not come to a unanimous verdict on the charge of murder, but instead found him guilty of the lesser offence of statutory murder, meaning he killed Mr Vuong by an act of violence, being armed robbery.
An armed Duca, along with a co-accused, shot the sewing machinist when they barged into Mr Vuong’s home to steal cannabis hydroponic equipment and other valuables.
The pair dressed like tradies — gloves, black beanie, orange hard hat and hi-vis gear — to not raise alarm to neighbours when they were taking things from the house.
When arrested, Duca had $27,000 cash, a Louis Vuitton bag and black wallet — all of which belonged to Mr Vuong.
Investigators also found police firearms and ammunition consistent with the murder weapon at the home of Duca’s mother.
Crown prosecutor Mark Rochford QC, in his openings of the trial last month, outlined the shocking moment Mr Vuong was killed.
“They knocked on the door. Mr Vuong answered. They began forcing their way in,” Mr Rochford said.
“He, Mr Duca that is, by this time had produced a shotgun from out of a bag.
“Mr Vuong was in fear and was resisting the door being pushed open and there’s a struggle going on at the front door.”
As the door was pushed open, Mr Rochford said, Duca raised the gun and fired two shots into Mr Vuong’s chest.
“Oh my God, I’ve killed him,” Duca then said.
His co-accused then dragged Mr Vuong’s body to the kitchen, where he was not found by a friend until 10 days later, sparking a homicide investigation.
Police arrested the pair after they tracked down a van, rented from a Coburg rental company, seen in the area on CCTV that day.
Duca and his co-accused were observed on footage at the car rental office, signing out the van earlier that day.
Unbeknown to them, the van had a tracking device in it, connected to a GPS system.
“So the whole trip from where they picked up the van to when the van came back is recorded,” Mr Rochford said.
Mr Vuong was the target of the burglary, as the pair had been told through an associate who knew the dressmaker that he kept money in the house.
Duca will face a pre-sentence hearing on March 26.