EastLink murder: Arrest warrant issued for witness in case of slain grocer Paul Virgona
A magistrate has taken a drastic step after a key witness in the case of slain grocer Paul Virgona failed to show up to court.
A man due to give evidence in the case of an execution-style shooting of a grocer on a Melbourne freeway is “actively avoiding police”.
Paul Virgona was killed in the early hours of November 9, 2019 as he was driving his produce van on the EastLink at Donvale. The 46-year-old was shot at least seven times and died at the scene.
Alleged Mongols bikie members Josh Rider, 30, and Aaron Ong, 35, have both been charged with one count of murder in relation to Mr Virgona’s death.
Witness Conrad Robson was due to give evidence in the committal hearing to determine the strength of the case against Mr Rider in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday.
But he failed to show up despite telling his mother he would meet her after the hearing, the court was told.
Officers had been unable to find him at his address and failed numerous times to contact him on his mobile, homicide squad Detective Senior Constable Stephen Eppingstall said.
“I believe he’s actively avoiding police at this stage,” Constable Eppingstall said.
Mr Robson had also failed to show up at a separate court matter earlier this month, Constable Eppingstall said.
Mr Rider’s defence lawyer told the court he wanted to question Mr Robson about an earlier shooting in January 2018.
“He starts off in a position where he didn’t know anything about who might be behind the shooting on the 29th of January (2018) to a position where he knows exactly who was behind it,” barrister Dermot Dann said.
Part of the prosecution theory was trying to connect the earlier shooting with the murder on the EastLink, Mr Dann said.
Mr Rider and Mr Ong are not charged in connection to that shooting.
A warrant was issued for Mr Robson’s arrest by magistrate Peter Reardon.
Earlier in the hearing, a police ballistics expert was quizzed about the type of weapon allegedly used in the shooting.
The gun used in the shooting has not been recovered.
Ballistics expert Darren Watson wrote in an email that the weapon “most likely used” in the EastLink shooting was a 9mm Smith and Wesson semi automatic model 39 or 59.
He examined the bullets from the scene and compared them with databases in order to narrow down the suspected weapon used to gun down the grocer.
It’s alleged Mr Rider and Mr Ong lay in wait outside the 46-year-year old grocer’s home for hours before they followed him to work.
The pair allegedly followed him in a stolen Mercedes Benz before they shot him on the freeway and later switched to a Volkswagen, which they later abandoned in a park.
The pair were charged with murder on January 22 last year.
Mr Ong was ordered to stand trial in the Supreme Court of Victoria earlier this month.
The committal hearing for Mr Rider will continue in late April.