On May 8, a Victorian court reached a guilty verdict in one of Australia’s most shocking recent contract killing cases: 25-year-old Jaeden Tito and 26-year-old Rabii Zahabe were convicted of the brutal murder of underworld figure Gavin Preston and the attempted murder of his companion Abbas Maghnie. As the sentencing phase of the trial gets underway, the case has drawn new attention for the heart-wrenching testimony from Tito’s mother, whose public conflict over her son’s actions lays bare the human fallout of gang-related violence.
The murder itself unfolded in broad daylight on September 9, 2023, at a popular suburban cafe called Sweet Lulu’s in Keilor, Melbourne. Preston, 50, was sitting outdoors eating breakfast with Maghnie when two masked gunmen, who had lain in wait for hours, opened fire. Preston was killed instantly in a hail of bullets, while Maghnie suffered life-threatening wounds. Investigators later confirmed Maghnie survived only by chance: one of the assassins’ weapons jammed mid-attack, stopping them from firing the fatal shot that would have killed him. To date, Maghnie has refused to cooperate with police investigations into the shooting. Both Tito and Zahabe have maintained their innocence throughout the trial, despite the jury’s guilty verdict.
In an emotional letter to the court — drafted with assistance from ChatGPT — Levi Tito, Jaeden’s mother, opened up about the devastating impact of her son’s conviction on her family. One of six children, Jaeden grew up as a protective older brother to his siblings and a constant source of joy for the household, she told the court. “I do not write this letter to excuse his behaviour but rather to share with this court the person I have known,” she wrote. “Your Honour, I understand my son’s actions have had devastating consequences … I continue to see kindness, compassion and humanity within him.”
She added that even in custody, her son has kept in close contact with the family, sending regular letters and cards and taking up quiet hobbies like reading and colouring. These small acts, she said, confirm that the caring son and brother she raised has not disappeared entirely. “When we learned of his arrest … Our world changed completely,” she said. “We deeply long for the day he can come home to us but we understand that day is not near.” As Levi Tito spoke, Preston’s fiancee Lauran Howe, who was in attendance at the court, sat with her head in her hands, confronting the pain of losing her partner.
Prosecutors, led by senior counsel Kristie Churchill, are pushing for the harshest possible sentence: life imprisonment for both men, arguing that the pre-planned, public nature of the killing demands the maximum penalty. “We say this was a murder that was extensively planned, it was sophisticated,” Churchill told the court. “This was a public execution that exposed many members of the public going about their lawful business to the execution.”
Defense lawyers for both hitmen have pushed back against life sentences, noting that while the pair were convicted, there is no evidence they were the masterminds behind the plot. Paul Smallwood, representing Zahabe, argued that his client’s young age and the harsh conditions of his pre-sentencing custody should be taken into account. Daniel Sala, Tito’s attorney, echoed that point, emphasizing that the two men were nothing more than small parts of a larger criminal operation. “They are not the driving force behind it,” Sala said.
The court has heard that both men are currently being held in protective custody due to the underworld connections of the victim, which puts them at significant risk of attack from other inmates. While the identity of the person or group that ordered the hit has not been confirmed, prosecutors acknowledged during the trial that Preston had a long criminal history and no shortage of enemies who may have wanted him dead.
Justice Michael O’Connell, presiding over the case, noted that even if the pair were not the main organizers, they were fully aware of every detail of the plot. “Your clients seemed to know about all that planning and take advantage of it to make a getaway which enables them to get to Sydney within a couple of hours,” he said. The pair will return to court at a later date for their final sentencing, after the justice has considered all arguments from both the prosecution and defense.