Detectives investigating the brazen killing of a Sydney lawyer expect more arrests after a pregnant mother-of-four and a globetrotting alleged hitman were charged with murder.
The rapid developments in the Bankstown cafe slaying investigation come as Ho Ledinh’s grieving wife shared a heartbreaking social media tribute to her late husband.
‘He’s still there, tall and skinny, and loves me more than he can say,’ Ngu Thu Huong said, posting the final photograph that her husband snapped – a picture of his family on the beach at sunset.
Ho Ledinh’s wife (centre) Ngo Thu Huong posted a tribute to her husband recently, saying: ‘He’s still there, tall and skinny, and loves me more than he can say’
Scene of the crime: Ho Ledinh, 65, is seen (on ground) in a witness photo just after he was gunned down at the Happy Cup cafe in Bankstown
Police believe the conspiracy over Mr Ledinh’s death may stretch beyond accused shooter Arthur Kelekolio, 38, and alleged getaway car driver Analosa Ah Keni, 35.
Mr Ledinh was holding a meeting about 3.30pm on Tuesday, January 22 when he was shot four times in the stomach. He died at the scene.
The gunman, who police allege was Kelekolio, wore a green top and was seen on security vision throwing a water bottle into a bin prior to the killing.
Police alleged in court documents that Ah Keni watched as Kelekolio was given his outfit and drink bottle prior to the shooting.
Ah Keni is alleged to have driven past the cafe less than an hour before the shooting and is also accused of driving the getaway van the killer escaped in afterward.
Ho Ledinh with his wife, Huong, prior to the birth of one of the couple’s three young children
Ho Ledinh’s wife posted this heartbreaking picture – the final one the solicitor took (shadow main) to Facebook
Arthur Kelekolio (left and right) has been charged with Ho Ledinh’s murder, with police alleging he was the gunman responsible for the criminal lawyer’s brazen execution
Investigators have examined Mr Ledinh’s underworld connections for a murder motive
Police believe both associates both planned to leave Australia following Mr Ledinh’s shooting, the Nine Network reported.
Cops swooped on Kelekolio at Sydney Airport when he checked in for a one-way flight to Bali about 10am on February 13, a statement at the time of his arrest said.
He had holidayed on the Indonesian island last year.
Meantime, Ah Keni’s family recently left their Liverpool townhouse, neighbours told Daily Mail Australia.
One local said police visited the family townhouse ‘a month or two ago’. Another family had since moved into the property.
Ah Keni shipped her family’s belongings to New Zealand after Ledinh’s death, Nine News reported, citing a statement tendered to the court.
The documents said she was planning to leave Australia. Police stopped her car at Marulan, on the Hume Highway, on March 8, and arrested her.
The alleged gunman is seen walking down a Bankstown street in a distinctive green jacket the afternoon of the killing
Investigators have examined the criminal lawyer’s underworld connections for a murder motive.
At least one former associate of Mr Ledinh told investigators a different theory – that his strident anti-communist views could have made him a target of sinister forces.
Ah Keni did not apply for bail and it was formally refused. She will appear in court on the afternoon March 28 for a release application.
Kelekolio is also on remand to return to court on April 11.
Police officers collected discarded water bottles from the street the day following Ledinh’s murder
Meantime, family friend Vivian Vo said Mr Ledinh’s wife is coming to terms with her husband’s death.
Friends have pitched in to help with the couple’s three young children, she said, and she may leave New South Wales in the future to live with family friends.
‘She loved her husband so much,’ Ms Vo said.
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