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STORY: "Man known as 'The Shepherd' living quietly in an Australian suburb denies he was sent here by the Italian mafia to assassinate senior AFP cop in a crime that shocked the nation," by Reporter Aidan Wondracz for the Daily Mail Australia, published on July 8, 2022 bearing the sub-headings: "Two men dubbed 'The Shepherds' were suspected of killing AFP officer in 1980s
A man suspected of being one of two 'Shepherds' who assassinated a high ranking AFP officer is now married and living quietly in suburbia.
GIST: Australian Federal Police assistant commissioner Colin Winchester was shot two times in the back of his head outside his Canberra home in January 1989.
Italian police revealed two people, known as 'The Shepherds', had been tasked with carrying out the hit by the mafia and sent to Australia in October 1988.
One of the suspected Shepherds is reportedly married with a family and still living in a north-eastern suburb of a major Australian city.
Italian police told AFP in 1990 the ’Ndrangheta organised crime syndicate had arranged for the man, then 21, to murder the AFP officer before marrying a local boss's daughter so that he could stay in the country.
It's believed the assassination was ordered to protect an illegal drug distribution network operating along Australia's eastern seaboard.
The man was questioned by police in Australia but denied any involvement in the murder saying he was just an Italian immigrant.
He claimed any links drawn between him and the mafia were coincidental as they came from the same villages in Calabria in Italy, Daily Telegraph reported.
'This is not me, the police are knocking on the wrong wall,' he said.
'This [claim] was all investigated a long time ago and had nothing to do with me.'
The second man suspected of being the other Shepherd fled the country shortly after the shooting.
Australian police instead arrested a public servant they wrongfully suspected of carrying out the attack.
David Eastman spent almost 19 years behind bars for the 1989 shooting.
He was found not guilty of Mr Winchester's murder at a retrial in 2018, as his first conviction was quashed in 2014 due to concerns about the original evidence.
He had pleaded not guilty in 1993 but received a life sentence two years later.
Mr Eastman was awarded more than $7 million compensation after seeking between $14 million and $18 million under the ACT's human rights laws."
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;
