Month one of the Jason De Ieso murder trial: Prosecution’s secret eyewitness testifies about bikie gang war and deadly shooting

Jason De Ieso was an innocent man caught in the crossfire, allegedly at the hands of a group of Hells Angels bikies and associates seeking retribution. Why was he in the firing line?

In the days before Jason De Ieso was shot dead, an alleged war between rival bikie gangs was brewing.

A kickboxing match descended into a brawl, a family home was firebombed and a group of men stormed a northern suburbs tattoo parlour.

These disparate events all played a part in the daylight shooting of an innocent man at his workplace, prosecutors allege.

For the past four weeks, a Supreme Court jury of 15 people has heard extraordinary allegations of a simmering feud between the Finks and Hells Angels, and how it turned deadly when a group of nine men, all wearing hooded jumpers and other disguises, stormed Mr De Ieso’s Pooraka crash repair business on November 21, 2012.

The jury heard evidence about each of the events prosecutors allege led up to Mr De Ieso’s death and the subsequent arrest of eight men.

Crucial to the prosecution case is the evidence of a man – whose identity must remain a mystery – who spent the past fortnight giving evidence via video-link from another location.

The eight men charged with murdering Jason De Ieso: Kyle Pryde, Nicholas Sianis, Seywan Moradi (back); Mohamed Alzuain, Musa Alzuain, Husain Alzuain (centre); Daniel Jalleh, Ross Montgomery (front). Picture: Timothy Ide

THE SHOOTING

As four men sat around eating and chatting at a lunch table inside Mr De Ieso’s workshop, they were unaware of the deadly incident about to unfold.

One of the men caught a glimpse of a group of nine men approaching and noticed the shine of a gun barrel before feeling “the wind” pass his face. As the men dived for cover, Mr De Ieso, 33, was fleeing from his office as some of the disguised men levelled their guns and fired.

He was struck multiple times in the head and fell to the ground.

Prosecutors allege five of the men depicted in CCTV footage of the incident – which has been played to the jury multiple times – were carrying firearms. They say three of the weapons were fired.

They allege the man depicted wearing a blue hoodie – alleged to be Musa Alzuain – fired the fatal shot using a sawn-off shotgun.

The prosecution has alleged Finks member Charles Bonnici was the intended target of the shooting.

The jury has been told the target of the attack was another man, Finks member Charles Bonnici, who was known to frequent Mr De Ieso’s workshop.

Mr De Ieso is not alleged to be a member of any bikie gang, but an innocent man unrelated to the feud.

Those present in the workshop have variously described to the jury the incident and aftermath as “chaos”, filled with “anxiety, panic and an ordeal which “felt like eternity” but lasted just seconds.

De Ieso trial: See the crime-scene photos

VIEW GALLERY

THE FEUD

The court has heard several incidents involving disharmony between the warring bikie gangs had been escalating for months.

They have alleged events including a Knees of Fury kickboxing event where a brawl between the warring gangs erupted just four days before Mr De Ieso shot had heightened tension.

But the night before Mr De Ieso was shot, a firebombing at the home of the Alzuain family – which fire experts told the court caused about $1000 damage – sparked their “retaliation”.

In his opening remarks to the jury, Jim Pearce KC told the jury the incident had not damaged the home’s bricks and mortar, but “the pride of the Hells Angels north crew and the pride of the Alzuains”.

“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,” he said.

THE ACCUSED

Eight men are charged with Mr De Ieso’s murder. They are:

Brothers 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;

Nicholas Sianis, 36, of Beverley.

Each of the men has pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder, while a ninth man prosecutors allege is depicted in the footage has since died.

Prosecutors allege each of the men is closely linked to the Hells Angels.

They allege Husain Alzuain was the only full gang member at the time, Musa Alzuain was a close associate, while the remaining six accused were alleged to be gang “prospects” at the time who have all since gone on to become fully patched members.

THE KEY WITNESS

The unidentifiable star witness, whose evidence is key to the prosecution case, was initially linked to Mr De Ieso’s murder after he was found to have a revolver used in the shooting.

He had been refused entry from former Light Sq nightclub Savvy when police swooped and located his bumbag, containing the revolver, inside a nearby car.

The jury heard he quickly became a suspect.

The witness told the jury he initially lied to police, telling them he found the weapon near a train line while driving to work.

He stuck to the lie for a few months before an interview in mid-2013, during which he told the police Musa Alzuain had given him the gun two days after the shooting.

The court heard the witness subsequently provided police with multiple statements, but nothing was signed until July 2019. The court has heard that at that time, he was told arrests were imminent, and was provided with a letter from Major Crime officer in charge Des Bray confirming SA Police support to access a $500,000 reward if his evidence led to a conviction.

The witness told the jury he took a couple of days to sign his statements and decide the time was right to “tell the truth”.

The jury has also heard he had since received immunity from prosecution for “any involvement” he had in the shooting, but must give “truthful evidence” or could face perjury charges.

CRUCIAL EVIDENCE

The witness told the jury he was summoned to the Salisbury Hwy, Parafield Gardens, home Mohamed Alzuain and Mr Montgomery shared where a gun was pointed in his face, and he was given orders.

He alleged each of the accused men was at the house, while Mr Montgomery was handing out hooded jumpers. He said guns – including a sawn-off shotgun – were on a table alongside gloves and a duffel bag.

The witness said he was told to tell a bike shop owner and tattoo parlour boss to close down for the day because there could be “trouble”. While doing so, he was then called back to meet Musa Alzuain at a reserve.

There, he told the jury, Musa Alzuain handed him a duffel bag and told to clean and dispose of its contents.

“When he handed me the bag his words were ‘make sure you clean this and then destroy it; you don’t know what we’ve just done’,” the witness said.

Jason De Ieso was the innocent victim of the shooting at his Pooraka workshop.

He said he met with Musa Alzuain two days later and was given a revolver. He was then asked to accompany him to get a tattoo, but told to watch the door “in case they come past and do what we’ve done to them”.

Parts of his evidence are unable to be published.

Each of the defence lawyers has cross-examined the key witness, each has suggested his evidence was “infiltrated with lies” or that he had fabricated his version of events to deflect police attention, either because he had been a suspect or to secure the $500,000 reward.

Andrew Fowler-Walker, for Musa Alzuain, suggested his evidence was a “performance”, while Nick Healy, for Mr Pryde, asked the witness if he had “invented a fantasy”. Michael Jandy, for Mr Sianis, suggested the witness’s evidence had been “brazenly inconsistent”. The witness rejected each of those suggestions.

“I wish this never happened and my life didn’t turn out as it did because of that day,” the witness said.

The revolver that prosecutors allege helped crack the case. It was linked to the shooting and seized from a man who is now the key prosecution witness.

DEFENCE CASE

At the beginning of the trial, defence lawyers for some of the men told the jury that identity would be the main issue at trial. The defence team are permitted only to provide an opening statement outlining their client’s cases after the prosecution have delivered an opening statement.

Winston Terracini SC, for Husain Alzuain, told the jury that his client’s case would be that he was “not there” and “did not take part in the offence at all”.

“Just because you are a member of a bikie association doesn’t mean that the next step is you’re going to effectively gun somebody down for murder,” he said.

Grant Algie KC, for Mohamed Alzuain, said it “would come down to” whether his client could be proven to be one of the nine men who stormed the workshop.

The other defence lawyers did not provide outlines of what they say is in dispute. Each defence lawyer will have an opportunity later in the trial to present their own witnesses.

The trial, before Auxiliary Justice Brian Martin, is expected to last between four and six months.

Originally published as Month one of the Jason De Ieso murder trial: Prosecution’s secret eyewitness testifies about bikie gang war and deadly shooting