Grieving family and friends farewell Veton and Lindita Musai after murder
Only a year ago, family and friends gathered to celebrate Veton and Lindita Musai’s wedding. This weekend, they were together again to farewell the young couple after they were tragically murdered in their Yarraville home.
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Hundreds of mourners have farewelled Veton and Lindita Musai, remembering them as a loving couple starting out together before their lives were cut short in a tragic murder.
The congregation, many who would have attended the couple’s lavish wedding little more than a year ago, gathered outside the Albanian Australian Islamic Society mosque in Carlton North, most barely speaking a word.
There was quiet reflection and despair in the aftermath of two young newlyweds, Veton aged 29 and Lindita, 25, being ambushed by a gunman on the veranda of their Yarraville home on New Year’s Eve.
Family and friends began arriving more than an hour early to pray on Saturday morning.
Hundreds, mostly from the Albanian community, packed the mosque to pray and to listen to short eulogies given during the hour-long service.
Almost a thousand more stood patiently and silently along Drummond St outside the mosque to pay their respects.
Two women, who appeared to be closely related to Veton and Lindita, had to be helped from the mosque as they became overcome with grief.
They were surrounded by relatives.
Pallbearers carried the loving couple’s bodies, both in white caskets, from the mosque to their side-by-side hearses.
Among the pallbearers were Veton’s father, Alil, and brothers, Drilon and Lindor.
A burial service was held in Glenroy.
Veton and Lindita had spent a long weekend celebrating their first wedding anniversary by treating themselves to a weekend stay in the city and had returned to their Salisbury St home to see in the new year when their lives were taken about 10.20am on New Year’s Eve.
Police believe Lindita was shot first, dying at the scene.
Her husband was then fired upon and would die on New Year’s Day, 30 hours later.
Lindita’s estranged father, Osman Shaptafaj, from neighbouring suburb Altona North, was found with gunshot wounds a block away but survived.
He remains in The Alfred hospital under police guard.
Veton loved the Bulldogs and soccer.
He grew up a short walk away from Whitten Oval and was so exuberant in his “passion” he had received the odd letter from the club.
Among his treasured photos was being at the Bulldogs’ 2016 preliminary final win with his brother, Drilon, where his beloved team won an epic match against Greater Western Sydney at their home ground.
Another has him celebrating the following week’s premiership with Grand Final hero Liam Picken at the MCG.
He had worked at NAB as a team leader and had married the love of his life.
Veton and Lindita were inside of the Yarraville house when it is thought Lindita answered a knock at the door about 10.20am.
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It has been reported the man knocking on the door was her estranged father.
It is understood the couple were not living in fear.
“There were no indications at all,” a source said.
Mr Shaptafaj had left home in Cooper Ave, Altona North, at about 8.20am.
Homicide investigators will be piecing together where he was between that point and just before 10.30.