Vincent Crupi charged with one count of murder over mafia lawyer Joseph Acquaro’s death
CCTV will form part of the case against a man charged with the murder of mafia lawyer Joseph Acquaro, who was shot and killed outside his restaurant in 2016, a court has heard.
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THE man charged with murdering mafia lawyer Joseph ‘Pino’ Acquaro has refused to face court.
Vincenzo Crupi, 69, was charged with Mr Acquaro’s murder earlier today and taken to the Melbourne Magistrates Court for a remand hearing.
Mr Acquaro, 54, was shot outside his Gelobar restaurant in 2016, after a contract on his life had allegedly been taken out.
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Mr Crupi refused to enter court this afternoon with his lawyer saying he wanted the administrative hearing to proceed in his absence.
Dates were set for the progression of the matter with Mr Crupi set to return to court on March 18.
Some CCTV will form part of the case against him.
Magistrate Nahrain Warda noted that Mr Crupi be seen by doctors as a matter of urgency, but did not detail why.
Homicide detectives arrested Mr Crupi, 69, this morning.
It’s understood he gave a ‘no comment’ interview.
He was charged with one count of murder.
The murder happened about 3am on March 15, 2016, when Mr Acquaro closed his restaurant.
The extensive investigation has also involved probing alleged mafia bosses, but only one charge was laid today.
In July, the Herald Sun revealed Calabrian-born Crupi was a target of the investigation into Mr Acquaro’s murder.
At the time he said there was “no way’’ he pulled the trigger on the marked man.
When asked whether he had shot Mr Acquaro outside the restaurant as retribution over a dispute about money, and for being blamed for an arson attack on the Gelobar, Mr Crupi laughed. “Me?’’ he said. “Why should I?
Asked again whether he was the gunman, Mr Crupi laughed: “No, no way.’’
Mr Crupi was known to the lawyer through Melbourne’s Italian community, and worked on renovations to Mr Acquaro’s Lygon St Gelobar.
He will front Melbourne Magistrates’ Court this afternoon, where investigators will seek to have him remanded in custody.
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