Osman Shaptafaj jailed over killing his daughter Lindita Musai and her husband Venton Musai
Father convicted of killing his own daughter and her husband on their first wedding anniversary because he hated their marriage and complains his sentence is too long
- Osman Shaptafaj in court to appeal his jail sentence
- He shot his daughter and her husband in cold blood
- He was furious that they were married
A Melbourne father who lay in wait outside his daughter’s home before executing her and her husband on their one-year wedding anniversary over a grudge has returned to court.
Osman Shaptafaj, 58, appeared before the Victorian Court of Appeal on Wednesday, where his lawyer argued that the 35-year sentence was excessive and that he was likely to die in prison.
Shaptafaj was given a life sentence last February after pleading guilty to the 2019 New Year’s Eve brutal double murder.
The then 55-year-old had become furious after learning that his estranged daughter, Lindita Musai, 25, had married her husband Venton Musai, 29, a year earlier.
He drove to Mr. Musai’s parents’ home in Yarraville, where he lay in wait for about two hours until the pair returned, before shooting each in the head as they rang the doorbell.
Shaptafaj then walked away from the house to a nearby park and turned the gun on himself.
Lindita Musai, 25, had married her husband Venton Musai, 29, a year earlier
Osman Shaptafaj was sentenced to a minimum of 35 years in prison for the brutal murders. Photo: Facebook
In court, his lawyer Rishi Nathwani argued that his client had received the highest possible sentence despite being entitled to a discount for his plea, disabilities and the impact of serving a prison sentence during Covid-19.
“We’re saying it’s quite obviously excessive when we consider all factors,” he said.
“The punishment would mean that this man would almost inevitably die in prison.”
Crown Prosecutor Diana Piekusis KC labeled the killings a cold-blooded premeditated murder.
She argued that the seriousness of the crime outweighed the factors that would normally lead to a reduction in a prison sentence.
“It was very open to the judge to rule that only life imprisonment could meet the sentencing requirements,” she said.
“(There should be no) sense of a guarantee of release when one commits this offence.”
She told the court that the young couple were at the beginning of their lives together, when Shaptafaj killed them amidst his grudge over their marriage.
Lindita Musai died immediately in the attack, while her husband, Veton Musai, died in hospital the next day. Photo: Lindita Musai/Facebook
Judge Phillip Priest told the court it’s hard to imagine a more brutal crime against your own child and their partner.
“These were cold-blooded murders, carried out for what may have been the very act of insulting your client’s dignity,” he said.
“Some murders are so bad that nothing but life imprisonment is appropriate.”
The court, presided over by Justices Phillip Priest, Stephen Kaye and Kim Hargrave, will rule at a later date.
Outside court, Drilon Musai said he wanted people to remember his brother and sister-in-law for who they were, not how they died.
“Bringing this up again only reminds you of what happened to Venton and Lindita, not who they were,” he said.
“We hope common sense prevails and we don’t have to go through this again.”