Hells Angels implicated in murder mystery

In the Melbourne Coroner's Court recently, Coroner Phil Byrne indicated he would deliver an open finding after an inquest into the callous murder of Vicki Jacobs . Ms Jacobs was shot dead in her Long Gully unit as she slept next to her six-year-old son Benjamin on June 12, 1999.

Homicide squad detectives and Vicki's friends have long believed she was murdered because she testified against her former husband Gerald Preston over the 1996 double murder of two men in South Australia.

In developments at the Court: Coroner Phil Byrne said Preston and his associate Terrence Tognolini were suspected of being implicated in Vicki's death; The detective who led the hunt for Vicki's killers said there was no motive for her death other than payback.

Vicki Jacobs knew she was likely to be murdered for testifying against her ex-husband and had made preparations for her death, the Melbourne Coroners Court heard today. Coroner Phil Byrne was told Ms Jacobs was murdered after providing police with information connecting her ex-husband Gerald Preston and the Hells Angels motorcycle club with a gun used in a 1996 South Australian double murder. Police alleged that Preston had been paid by the Hells Angels motorcycle club to carry out the killings of known drug dealer Les Knowles and his associate Timothy Richards. Preston was convicted in 1998 and sentenced to 32 years in prison.

Mr Byrne said it was clear that Ms Jacobs was aware of the risks involved when she made the courageous decision to give evidence against Preston. Ms Jacobs' friend Colleen Hunter, who is a carer for her son Benjamin, said Ms Jacobs was terrified of Preston's associate Terrence Tognolini, a member of the Hells Angels. "She knew he would be the go-between between Gerry and the person who murdered her," Mrs Hunter told the court. She said Ms Jacobs knew the risks of testifying and had made preparations for her death. "Vicki had been told by her husband that she was history," Mrs Hunter told the court. "She had prepared a will and talked quite extensively about what would happen to her child." Mrs Hunter said Ms Jacobs had refused police protection because she wanted her son to grow up around family and friends and not in hiding or on the run.

Detective Sergeant Gordon Hynd said police could establish no motive for Ms Jacobs' brutal murder other than the evidence she gave against Preston and indirectly against the Hells Angels. "There was nothing else going on in Vicki Jacobs' life that would give rise to a reason for her being murdered," Det-Sgt Hynd said. He said diary entries found in Preston's cell at South Australia's Yatala prison detailed his contempt for his ex-wife, his attempts to track her down, his ongoing communication with Terrence Tognolini and financial support received from Hells Angels.

Mrs Hunter said it was obvious to Ms Jacobs's family and friends that her role in testifying against Preston had led to her violent death. "To us there is no other motive why she died," she said.

Det-Sgt Hynd said the posting of a $1 million bounty for Ms Jacobs's killer in June last year had not provided fresh leads. "It's been a very comprehensive investigation, at this point in time there is no information that can take it further." Mr Byrne indicated he would deliver an open finding. "The fingers of suspicion certainly point at them (Preston and Tognolini)," Mr Byrne said. But he said the evidence was not conclusive. Mr Byrne will deliver his findings on a date to be fixed.

Police have alleged Preston was contracted by the Hells Angels motorcycle club to carry out the killings. Preston is now serving a 32-year jail term in a South Australia prison for the double murders.