Carl Williams

Case identification

Carl Antony Williams (b. October 13, 1970) was an Australian convicted hitman and drug trafficker from Melbourne, Victoria. He died on 19 April 2010 while incarcerated at Barwon Prison. His Supreme Court of Victoria case was The Queen v. Carl Antony Williams.

Timeline

• 13 October 1999 — Williams was alleged to have been shot in the abdomen by Jason Moran during an argument in Gladstone Park.
• 15 June 2000 — Mark Moran was shot dead after arriving at his home in Aberfeldie.
• 21 June 2003 — Jason Moran and associate Pasquale Barbaro were shot dead sitting in a car at a football club in Essendon.
• 18 August 2003 — A fire was reported in a stormwater drain in Sunshine; a wheelie bin containing the remains of a charred body was recovered and later identified as Mark Mallia.
• 25 October 2003 — Michael Marshall was shot outside his luxury South Yarra home in front of his five-year-old son.
• 31 March 2004 — Lewis Moran was shot dead in the inner-city Brunswick Club.
• 2 April 2004 — Williams was banned from the Crown Casino complex by police commissioner Christine Nixon under the Casino Control Act.
• May 2004 — Williams was stopped when arrested by the Purana gangland taskforce.
• 28 February 2007 — Williams pleaded guilty in the Victorian Supreme Court to the murders of Lewis Moran, his son Jason Moran, and Mark Mallia, and to conspiracy to murder Mario Condello.
• 7 May 2007 — Williams was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 35 years before parole eligibility.
• 19 April 2010 — Williams died from head injury while incarcerated at Barwon Prison; Matthew Charles Johnson was charged with murder over the alleged assault with part of an exercise bike.
• 30 April 2010 — Williams’ funeral was held at St Therese’s Catholic Church in Essendon.
• 22 November 2008 — Williams’ mother Barbara was found dead in her Melbourne home.
• 25 November 1999 — Williams, along with his father George and another associate, was arrested and charged with drug trafficking after a raid on a Broadmeadows illegal drug factory.

Background

Williams spent much of his childhood in Western Melbourne with friends and his old brother Shane, who died of a drug overdose in 1997. Williams attended Broadmeadows West Technical School and left in Year 11.

He was married to convicted drug trafficker Roberta Williams (born 23 March 1969). The couple were divorced and had one daughter together, born 10 March 2001. Williams’ mother Barbara was found dead in her Melbourne home on 22 November 2008 while suffering from depression.

Williams held various labouring jobs before opening a children’s clothing store in partnership with his wife, which eventually failed.

The offence

Melbourne gangland killings

Williams was described as the central figure in the Melbourne gangland killings. The violence involved murders of underworld rivals and conspiracies to murder rivals.

On 13 October 1999, Williams was alleged to have been shot in the abdomen on his 29th birthday by Jason Moran during an argument in Gladstone Park. This event gave rise to a lengthy violent turf war known popularly as the Melbourne gangland killings.

The killings included the deaths of:

• Mark Moran — shot on 15 June 2000 after arriving at his home in Aberfeldie.
• Jason Moran and Pasquale Barbaro — shot dead sitting in the front seat of a van while watching a children’s football clinic in Essendon on 21 June 2003; the shooting location was reported to be behind the Cross Keys Hotel in Strathmore, Victoria; the murder was witnessed by six children aged 6 and under.
• Mark Mallia — a fire was reported in a stormwater drain in Sunshine; fire brigade members recovered a wheelie bin containing the remains of a charred body which was later identified as Mallia.
• Michael Marshall — shot outside his luxury South Yarra home in front of his five-year-old son on 25 October 2003.
• Lewis Moran — shot dead in the inner-city Brunswick Club on 31 March 2004. Williams pleaded guilty to the murder of Lewis Moran.

Conspiracy to murder

Williams pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder gangland rival Mario Condello. The conspiracy was described as a failed conspiracy to kill Mario Condello at sentencing.

Investigation

Purana taskforce and suppressed trial outcome

Williams’ guilty pleas were described as major breakthrough evidence in Victoria Police’s Purana Taskforce probe into years of blood-letting.

A suppression order prevented the media from reporting his February 2007 guilty pleas until the day of sentencing.

The outcome of a prior trial related to Michael Marshall had also been suppressed.

Drug trafficking background and arrest

On 25 November 1999, Williams, along with his father George and another associate, was arrested and charged with drug trafficking after a raid on a Broadmeadows illegal drug factory. Police seized in excess of 250,000 amphetamine tablets, estimated to be worth up to $20 million. Williams described himself as a semi-professional gambler.

Williams was banned from the Crown Casino complex on 2 April 2004 by police commissioner Christine Nixon under the Casino Control Act.

Arrest and confession

On 28 February 2007, Williams pleaded guilty in the Victorian Supreme Court to:

• the murders of Lewis Moran, his son Jason Moran, and Mark Mallia (whose name was initially suppressed by the court);
• conspiracy to murder gangland rival Mario Condello.

The suppression order delayed media reporting until sentencing.

Under a deal with police, Williams was not charged for his alleged involvement in orchestrating the murder of Mark Moran, described as Jason Moran’s half brother.

It was also revealed that Williams was serving a sentence of 21 years for the 2003 murder of Michael Marshall. The prior trial outcome concerning Marshall was described as having been suppressed.

Trial

Plea to murders and conspiracy

Williams pleaded guilty to the murders of Lewis Moran, Jason Moran, and Mark Mallia, and to conspiracy to murder Mario Condello.

Sentencing

Sentence on 7 May 2007

On 7 May 2007, Williams was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 35 years before parole eligibility.

The sentence related to:

• the murder of three underworld rivals — Jason Moran, Lewis Moran and Mark Mallia;
• a failed conspiracy to kill Mario Condello.

Williams would have been 71 before he was eligible for parole.

Sentencing remarks by Justice Betty King

Justice Betty King delivered the sentence in a special sitting of the Supreme Court.

Williams left the dock and was described as smirking when the 35-year minimum term was announced.

Williams said:

"I have something to say."

He told Justice King:

"I expected nothing better of you. You are not a judge. You are only a puppet of the police. You are a puppet for Purana."

When Justice King asked for Williams to be removed, he yelled:

"Ah, get f***ed."

Williams’ mother Barbara repeated his claims in court:

"You're not a judge, you don't deserve your wig and gown,"

Justice King said life imprisonment was the only appropriate penalty, stating that there were “no other appropriate penalties for crimes of this nature, gangland executions carried out on the streets of Melbourne, in the presence of frightened men, women and children.”

Justice King said Williams appeared to enjoy his notoriety and expressed concern he would become a “hero” to some people in the community, stating:

"You are not,"
"You are a killer and a cowardly one who employed others to do the actual killing, whilst you hid behind carefully constructed alibis."

Justice King said Williams should not be the subject of admiration and said he arranged for others to do the killing and for alibis to protect himself, describing him as a “puppet master” who decided whether people lived or died. Justice King told Williams:

"I find that you were the leader of the gang,"
adding that he was "at the top of the chain of command".

Justice King said that even though many victims were engaged in criminal activity, it was unacceptable to kill criminals as it was to kill any other person. She said:

"You do not get to be judge, jury and executioner. "These were not vigilante killings, they were matters of expediency to you. "You acted as though it was your right ot have these people killed."

Justice King stated he was the “counsellor and procurer” of the three murders and described that role as “more heinous” than that of the killer himself. She said he bore “the highest level of criminality”.

Justice King said Williams was given a discount because his guilty plea saved court time and money, and said he had demonstrated “no real remorse.” She said:

"You have uttered words of remorse in response to questions asked of you by your counsel but I find that you have no real or genuine remorse for the victims of your crimes, only remorse that you have been caught and lost your liberty.''

Justice King described him as:

"a most unsatisfactory witness, virtually incapable of telling the truth."

She said his testimony was designed to provide no evidence against people who were not already dead or convicted and described his manner as “arrogant” and “almost supercilious.”

She said:

"You left me with a strong impression that your view of all these murders was that they were all really justifiable and you were the real victim, having been 'forced' to admit at least some of your involvement, by the statements of other members of your group who had co-operated with police.''

Appeals

No appeal outcome was stated.

Outcome

Death in custody

On 19 April 2010, Williams died from head injury while incarcerated at Barwon Prison. It was alleged he was struck with part of an exercise bike by another inmate, Matthew Charles Johnson, who had since been charged with murder.

Funeral

Williams’ funeral was held on 30 April 2010 at St Therese’s Catholic Church in Essendon.

Other details

Prison status

Williams was held in the maximum security unit of HM Prison Barwon. At the time of his death, he was in the maximum security Acacia unit of HM Prison Barwon near Geelong.

Media portrayal and public reporting

Williams was portrayed by Gyton Grantley in 2008 in a TV series on Channel Nine in Australia called Underbelly, which was loosely based on the events surrounding the Melbourne gangland wars from 1995 to 2004.

On 14 May 2008, the Melbourne Herald Sun reported that Williams was operating a Facebook page with assistance of his ex-wife Roberta Williams. His active friends on Facebook rose from approximately 1,000 at 6pm on 14/05/08 to approximately 2,500 by midnight on 14/05/08. As of 15 May 2008, Williams’ Facebook account was removed, and there were other media reports that his associates Tony Mokbel and Mick Gatto had Facebook accounts attracting a growing fan base. Williams’ new Facebook profile was up and running minutes after being disabled, and as of 19 May 2008 it boasted over 3,000 friends. His Myspace profile also had around 500 friends.

School fees revelation

On 19 April 2010, News Limited newspapers including the Herald Sun revealed that Victoria Police were paying $8000 in school fees for Williams’ daughter. The reason for the payment was not disclosed. Williams’ lawyer Rob Stary said Williams was upset about the publication. There was speculation that police may have agreed to pay school fees in exchange for information and that publication may have led to Williams’ death. The Herald Sun defended its publication.

Drug trafficking and imprisonment prior to life sentence

Williams was serving a sentence of 21 years for the 2003 murder of Michael Marshall and earlier pleaded guilty to murdering gangland figure Lewis Moran, his son Jason Moran, and another underworld figure Mark Mallia. His admissions were described as a major breakthrough in Purana Taskforce investigation into eight years of blood-letting.

Named victims and relationships as described

• Lewis Moran was shot dead in the inner-city Brunswick Club on 31 March 2004. He was described as father to Jason and stepfather to Mark.
• Jason Moran was shot dead sitting in a car watching a children’s football clinic in Essendon in June 2003, and was also described as 36 years old.
• Mark Moran was described as killed on 15 June 2000 after arriving at his home in Aberfeldie.
• Pasquale Barbaro was described as Jason Moran’s associate and was shot dead with Jason in Essendon. Barbaro was described as 40 years old.
• Mark Mallia was identified from remains recovered in a wheelie bin recovered from a stormwater drain fire report in Sunshine.
• Michael Marshall was shot outside his luxury South Yarra home in front of his five-year-old son on 25 October 2003.

Claims about court behaviour and witnesses

Williams was described as having given evidence against legal advice, contradicting known facts, and as a “most unsatisfactory witness” in Justice King’s remarks. Geoff Horgan SC conducted a cross-examination described as required to protect future Crown cases.

Other names and events mentioned

The narrative included mentions of:

• Andrew Veniamin, described as a murderer who was involved as a right hand man until late 2003;
• Tony Mokbel, described as fleeing Australia in March last year;
• Mick Gatto, described as having been involved in shooting of a gunman associated with Williams;
• Terence Hodson and his wife Christine, described as police informer Terence Hodson and his wife Christine being shot dead in their Kew home in May 2004;
• Christine Nixon, described as police commissioner who banned Williams from the Crown Casino complex;
• David Ross QC, who appeared for Williams at a pre-sentence hearing and asked that a minimum term be fixed;
• George, Williams’ father, who was involved in the 25 November 1999 drug factory raid arrest and described as seeking a suspended sentence for pending drug charges.