‘Pino’ Acquaro’s haunting message to workers before his murder
Joe ‘Pino’ Acquaro knew the mafia were out to kill him weeks before his murder, and in a bid to protect his workers, gave them a piece of advice which has stuck with them to this day.
Law & Order
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A slain gangland lawyer told workers at his Brunswick eatery to never walk behind him on the street because the mafia were out to kill him, a court has heard.
Joe “Pino” Acquaro knew he was a marked man and people “wanted to get him” in the weeks leading up to his execution on Lygon St in 2016, witnesses revealed in court yesterday.
But prosecutors will argue the deadly shooting was motivated by $500 business dispute between him and disgruntled contractor Vincenzo Crupi who he also suspected of setting fire to his restaurant.
Mr Crupi, 70, fronted court yesterday, accused of shooting the well-known mafia lawyer dead as he walked from his Italian restaurant, Gelobar, shortly before 1am on March 15, 2016.
On the first day of a week-long committal, the court heard Mr Acquaro had punched and slapped Mr Crupi during a heated fight a week after the suspicious fire on January 23.
Two pastry chefs and a gelato maker witnessed the argument.
“Pino kept asking Vince why he did it and Vince kept denying it,” Chef Massimo Palummo said.
Another worker Gianluca Paone told the court he saw Mr Acquaro grab Mr Crupi by the shoulders and yell “you put people in danger”.
“I had never seen Pino like this before, he was angry and frustrated,” Mr Paone said in his police statement.
Mr Paone said he quit his job at the restaurant after his boss’ murder and was still fearful three years on.
“I was scared, my life changed since then,” he said, telling police Mr Acquaro had been like a second father to him.
A tiler who was helping renovate the Gelobar cafe gave evidence the solicitor believed people were out to get him.
“He never told me who, he said something like the mafia,” Massimilliano Bottoni said.
“He told me something I can’t forget, Pino said don’t walk behind me when I go outside,” he said.
“I thought he was joking … but he wasn’t,” Mr Bottoni said.
The court heard Mr Crupi was helping renovate Gelobar on a “voluntary” basis and was paid by way of food rather than money.
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Mr Acquaro’s insurance broker, Tony Caruso, said his client was “surprised” when Mr Crupi eventually approached him for payment.
Mr Caruso gave evidence he asked Mr Acquaro “straight out” if he had anything to do with the suspicious blaze.
“I knew of Pino’s reputation for some of the clients he gave legal advice to,
“Maybe I got him mixed up with somebody from the Godfather,” he told the court.
The hearing before Deputy Chief Magistrate Jelena Popovic continues.