A suspected foot soldier of crime boss Kazem “Kaz” Hamad was shot dead when the victim of an aggravated burglary turned the gun back on him.
Joseph Romano, 19, died on the front lawn of a Donnybrook home in Melbourne’s north in January 2024 after he and two other men donned face masks and gloves and used axes to smash their way into the home of underworld figure Darcy Curran and his pregnant partner Tayla Grannan.
But the Coroner’s Court heard Curran will avoid being charged over Romano’s death after prosecutors found he had a good case to argue self-defence.
Police believe the attack was ordered by Hamad from overseas after his crime gang became concerned Curran would divulge who was involved in an extortion and restaurant firebombing, the court heard.
Romano went to the property with Hakan Esser and Ali Saleh, smashing the windows of a bedroom where Grannan was sleeping, and slicing her leg with an axe in the ensuing assault.
Curran ran to his partner’s aid when he heard screaming, wrestling a weapon off one of the masked intruders and firing on the group.
Romano died at the scene, while Esser was hit but managed to escape, and Saleh was not injured.
Detective Senior Constable Daniel Fallone told the court that Curran had strong links to the Middle Eastern crime network, outlaw motorcycle gangs and was entrenched in organised crime.
“They went there to stab someone,” he told the coroner.
“They went in for that serious assault and the tables were effectively turned on them.”
Fallone revealed Hamad’s involvement in the home invasion was uncovered after Romano’s phone was discovered in the burnt out getaway car.
Hamad was deported from Australia in 2023, but is believed to have been continuing to direct his crime operations from overseas. He was arrested in Iraq on drug trafficking offences in January.
The court heard police uncovered extensive messages between the three intruders and senior Hamad crime figures in the encrypted messaging app Signal.
Using codenames including Carnage, Baby Face, Cash Money and Jump Man, they recruited the three men for the attack and ordered they purchase axes from Bunnings.
Fallone said a person named ‘unknown’, who police believe was Hamad, told Romano he would be provided with an encrypted phone and gun for the job.
Romano expressed a willingness to work with the crime syndicate and later sent photographs of him delivering messages and receiving the gun.
“Hope you’re making brother overseas happy. If he’s upset we’re going to bring hell to some people. Hope we’re good for Tuesday,” one message to Romano replied, believed to be in reference to Hamad.
“Just taking it seriously brother,” Romano replied.
Fallone said that by the time the attack occurred, the trio had been provided with the layout of Curran’s house and knew exactly where they wanted to go.
The court heard Romano had no prior convictions, but he had become involved in tobacco store extortion, assaults and arson.
Coroner Paresa Spanos said it appeared Romano was “very much a participant” in the aggravated burglary, and he unfortunately was the one who “caught the bullet”.
Esser and Saleh both later pleaded guilty over the aggravated burglary.
With AAP
