Alleged Hells Angels stand trial over Jason De Ieso murder

An innocent worker’s gruesome death has been revealed as eight men face trial over one of Adelaide’s highest profile murders – allegedly the culmination of a bitter bikie feud.

Staff at a suburban crash repair shop were on a break in the lunch room as a hail of bullets sent them ducking for cover – while one of their innocent colleagues was brazenly shot in the head amid a “cascading” bikie war, a court has heard.

Jason De Ieso had just exited the office at his Langford St, Pooraka, crash repair workshop as nine men – five carrying firearms – approached, levelled their weapons and opened fire.

He was shot several times in the head.

On Wednesday, a decade since the incident on November 21, 2012, eight men – all alleged to be members or closely linked to the north crew of the Hells Angels bikie gang – are standing trial in the Supreme Court.

“For those men at the lunch table, it was chaos,” prosecutor Jim Pearce told a jury of 15 people.

He said the workshop staff hid behind whatever they could, but Mr De Ieso – who was not the intended target of the shooting – was close to the workshop entrance and had no chance.

“When the shooting started, he desperately tried to take cover,” Mr Pearce said.

He said three of the five guns were fired and one of the shooters was carrying a sawn off shotgun – which was the weapon used to shoot to fire the “catastrophic” fatal shots.

“The attack ended as quickly as it began. Having discharged a number of shots, the attackers simply turned and fled,” he said.

Murder victim Jason De Ieso.

Husain Ali Alzuain.

He said the staff members were left to deal with the “gruesome aftermath” of the shooting but there was “nothing they could do” to save Mr De Ieso, who had been repeatedly shot “at point blank range” in the head.

He said the nine men, who were each disguised by hooded jumpers, face coverings and baseball caps had left in two small white cars.

Daniel Jalleh.

Mohamed Alzuain.

The men are alleged to be Husain Alzuain, 35, of Goodwood, Mohamed Alzuain, 31, of Mile End, Musa Ali Alzuain, 30, of St Morris, Daniel Mark Jalleh, 34, of Clovelly Park, Ross William Montgomery, 38, of Andrews Farm, Seywan Moradi, 36, of Walkley Heights, Kyle Lloyd Pryde, 34, of Adelaide and Nicholas Sianis, 36, of Beverley.

They have each pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder, while the ninth man police alleged to have been among the group has died.

Kyle Lloyd Pryde. Picture: Facebook

Ross William Montgomery. Picture: Greg Higgs

Mr Pearce said the accused are each alleged to be members, or closely associated with, the Hells Angels bikie gang. At the time, he said Husain Alzuain was a gang member, Musa Alzuain was a close associate, while the remaining six accused were considered gang “prospects” at the time and had since gone on to become fully patched gang members.

At the time of Mr De Ieso’s death, the Hells Angels were feuding with rival bikie gang, the Finks, and one of their members, Charles Bonnici.

Mr Pearce said Mr Bonnici was the intended target of the shooting, after a firebombing which occurred at the Alzuain family home the evening before Mr De Ieso was killed.

“That night, they began making plans for retaliation,” Mr Pearce said.

He said the “real damage” caused by the firebombing was not to the bricks at mortar at the Alzuain family home, but “to the pride of the Hells Angels north crew and the pride of the Alzuain’s”.

“The feud between the two rival groups had become personal and the retribution that followed would be swift, severe and would culminate in the murder of Mr De Ieso.”

Mr Pearce said the men gathered at the Parafield Gardens home Mr Montgomery and Mohamed Alzuain. He said a witness would give evidence that it was there that the men had prepared an array of firearms and disguises in preparation for retaliation against the Finks.

“There will be no mystery about how Mr De Ieso was killed, and the way he was killed,” Mr Pearce said.

“On the prosecution case this was a brazen crime. It was committed by a large group of men, working together as a collective.

“This crime was planned … this shooting was an act of retaliation but not for anything done by Mr De Ieso.”

Nicholas Sianis. Picture: Nine News

Seywan Moradi.

Musa Ali Alzuain.

Mr Pearce said that on the day of the incident the group of nine men had first travelled to a tattoo parlour owned by Mr Bonnici at Salisbury North and bashed the staff.

He said they then went to Mr De Ieso’s crash repair business at Pooraka because Mr Bonnici was “well-known” known to frequent the workshop. But, he said the men likely passed Mr Bonnici on the road “like ships in the night”.

The jury heard Mr Bonnici had left the workshop just 15 minutes earlier to travel to the tattoo parlour after receiving a call about the bashing.

Mr Pearce said the warring gangs had clashed on other occasions, before the firebombing on the Alzuain family home, there was “open conflict” and “tensions were high”.

“There was a cascading sequence of events between those two rival clubs that led to the death of Mr De Ieso,” Mr Pearce said.

He said that just a few days before the firebombing the gangs had clashed at a kickboxing event, known as Knees of Fury, at Findon. In the months prior to that other incidents linked to tensions between the group included an affray at a city nightclub Hindley St, a home invasion and shooting at the Semaphore home of a member of the Finks, Mark Sandery, and an affray and shooting outside Stratz nightclub on Hindley St.

Mr Pearce is expected to continue his opening remarks on Thursday. The trial is expected to hear from numerous witnesses, including eye witnesses, and last for approximately six months.

Originally published as Alleged Hells Angels stand trial over Jason De Ieso murder