Why Nabil Maghnie murder case remains a mystery

Two years on from the public slaying of Melbourne underworld figure Nabil Maghnie, police reveal the factors hampering the investigation.

The investigation into the January 2020 murder of Nabil Maghnie is ongoing. Picture: Ian Currie

The murder of gangland figure Nabil Maghnie in a dramatic triple-shooting looks little closer to being solved than when it happened.

Two years on from the fiery standover man’s public slaying at Epping, police are still believed to be still struggling to bring anyone to justice.

If they do have a clear picture of who is responsible, proving it appears to be another thing.

Uncooperative witnesses – including the survivors – are believed to have been a factor in making the investigation harder than many would have initially thought when a gunman blasted Maghnie outside a Daltons Rd house on January 9, 2020.

The shooter also wounded a mate of Maghnie before following his son AJ off the property and opening fire on him.

The murder of Nabil Maghnie is unsolved. Picture: Instagram

Witnesses said at the time that he was calm and only stopped firing when he ran out of bullets.

The Herald Sun understands the strongest working theory is that someone from the house Maghnie was visiting was the shooter.

Maghnie, 45, was a man with many enemies, among them people violent enough for him to have been shot twice previously.

But the Sunday Herald Sun understands a murder set-up by his foes appears unlikely and that those connected to the property he was visiting remain central to the inquiry.

People gather at the scene in Epping where Maghnie was shot. Picture: Wayne Taylor

Investigators have publicly released no image or description of a suspect, nor a vehicle which might have been used by the shooter.

There have been no announcements of arrests related to the case.

Maghnie had gone to Daltons Rd to confront someone from the house who he believed had been involved in a road rage incident with his daughter Sabrine.

She had been left with a black eye after a minor collision ended in a physical confrontation.

It is believed Maghnie, a feared organised crime figure in the northern suburbs, arrived at the property demanding compensation over that incident.

Mourners at Maghnie’s funeral. Picture: Wayne Taylor

He had for years been the target of heavy police scrutiny and attention from a range of gangland foes.

In 2016, Maghnie was lucky to survive a shooting ambush as he sat in his car, driving himself to hospital for treatment.

That came five years after he was wounded in another gun attack.

In the months before his death, Maghnie had come under investigation over the murder of underworld figure Mitat Rasimi at Dandenong and for the double-fatal Love Machine nightclub drive-by shooting of 2019.

One of his sons, Jacob Elliott, has been charged over the Love Machine incident, in which crowd controller Aaron Osmani and patron Richard Arow died.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the investigation into Maghnie’s death remained active.

“Detectives have spoken to a number of people in the course of the investigation, however are yet to charge anyone in relation to the incident,” the spokeswoman said.

“The investigation remains ongoing and detectives urge anyone who has information about the matter to come forward.”

Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.