Bikie found guilty of ordering hit on Rebels boss Nick Martin in Perth’s underworld ‘trial of the century’
Updated ,first published
The family of cycling boss Nick Martin, who was shot dead with a sniper rifle at Kwinana Motorplex in December 2020, has released a statement just hours after the man accused of paying for the attack was found guilty in the WA Supreme Court.
“On behalf of the Martin family, we are grateful for today’s results, but the outcome makes no difference to us as we still grieve missing our Nick every day,” the statement said. 9 News Perth in question.
“We’re glad the two weak, evil cowards who took him from us are getting their due.”
David Pye, 43, appeared via video link to hear Judge Joseph McGrath’s verdict on Friday morning following his dramatic hearing in October last year.
The case has been dubbed the “trial of the century” after Martin was accused of ordering the shooting at Kwinana Motorplex in 2020.
The cyclist denied that he had paid a former soldier to shoot Martin dead in front of thousands of people, and the only real evidence the police had was the man’s words.
The former soldier, whose identity cannot be determined because his identity is hidden, had previously confessed to killing Martin while watching the races with his family, but the hitman said that he received drugs and money for this from Pye, whom he befriended due to his work abroad.
Pye flatly denied the accusation and took the matter to court; It set off a security nightmare for police, who shuttled him to and from Perth District Court every day with multiple armed vehicles and an armed helicopter monitoring his every move.
The building itself was also unusually heavily guarded throughout the trial; Multiple armed tactical response units were watching every entry and exit point like hawks throughout the trial.
The majority of the evidence in the case was the words of the former soldier, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for Martin’s murder; this was significantly reduced on the grounds that he would testify against Pye.
The 39-year-old man testified for days from behind bulletproof glass, claiming the bike shop boss asked him to kill Martin shortly after he rejected Pye’s request to kill his ex-girlfriend.
“He basically wanted to put holes in it with a .357 gun. [pistol]claimed the former soldier.
The trooper said he agreed to “look into this matter” considering the job in exchange for the nominal sum of $150,000.
He said he “followed” Martin as he came and went from his home for weeks, trying to find a pattern of behavior that would enable him to prepare and carry out the murder.
He bought a drone and flew it over his home to assess its security installation, the court heard.
But the former soldier later decided Best place to kill 51 year old He was in front of 2000 people in the dark from 365 meters away.
He said that on December 12, 2020, he sat in some bushes on the far side of the Kwinana Motorplex and watched Martin through the lens of his rifle. He claimed he turned off his phone and then fired a single bullet into the chest of Martin, who was seated next to his wife Amanda, step-daughter Stacey and a group of horrified friends and onlookers.
The bullet exited Martin’s back, grazed the leg of his stepdaughter’s boyfriend, Ricky Chapman, and lodged in his arm. The then-31-year-old survived the shooting but died 16 months later from an unrelated medical event.
The soldier was captured soon after and quickly took a plea deal, telling police he had been paid to do the job.
But Pye’s lawyers told the hearing that the man was a pathological and compulsive liar.
During cross-examination, he was repeatedly exposed for the lies and exaggerations he told about the killing of the conquistadors.
The trial also did not uncover any actual evidence linking Pye to the murder other than the soldier’s words, and while police listened to conversations between the pair, conversations in court fell short of hearing them both discuss Martin’s murder.
In contrast, the prosecution argued that Pye had reason to want Martin dead.
Former friends and allies, the two became enemies after Pye defected to the Comancheros, one of Martin’s Rebel gang. It was said that Pye wanted to return the favor as much as Martin wanted Pye dead.
But the hearing was also told that there were about 60 other people who wanted Martin killed, and Pye’s lawyers took the opportunity to deflect pressure on their client and point the finger elsewhere.
Unlike ordinary trials, this trial was not heard before a jury because it was decided that it would be impossible to find a group of impartial people to decide Pye’s fate. Instead, only one man was tasked with determining Pye’s fate.
Pye was also found guilty of inciting the ex-soldier to murder another rival cyclist boss, Ray Cilli, who was living in Thailand.
The sniper told the court Pye offered him $800,000 to do the job, but he was arrested because Martin died before he could carry out the attack.
On Friday, McGrath also told the court Pye was guilty of assaulting his ex-girlfriend and twice dealing with money intended to be used in the murder offence.
Pye will be sentenced at a later date.
Be the first to know when important news happens. Sign up for breaking news alerts Turn on notifications in email or in the app.
