Buying a car, finishing high school, meeting his girlfriend, winning his first footy game with a new club and starting a business were moments Luca Virgona couldn’t wait to share with his father.
Paul Virgona was his best friend and biggest supporter. But the father of two wasn’t there for any of those moments.
Aaron Ong and Josh Rider had staked out his Croydon home for hours before Virgona left for work at 2am, and followed behind him as he went to pick out the day’s fruit and vegetable order.
On the freeway they pulled alongside him and fired 11 shots into his van from a semi-automatic handgun, striking him 11 times.
Virgona’s van span out of control. When police found him the engine was still running, his phone was illuminated in his lap and Virgona was dead.
Luca Virgona never missed an opportunity to talk to his best mate and couldn’t want to tell him about his latest achievements, to see just how proud his dad was.
“These are the moments I never had, the ones I’ll never have,” he told Victoria’s Supreme Court on Tuesday.
“It’s excruciating to know the future is filled with these unanswered phone calls.”
Giulia Virgona said she and her dad had shared excitement together for her future achievements.
“Having to complete and accomplish these goals without him is a struggle in itself,” she said.
Luca was 17 and Gulia was 14 when their father died.
Rider pleaded guilty to Virgona’s murder last year and weeks later a jury convicted Ong of murder.
Prosecutors can’t prove which of the pair was behind the wheel of the high performance Mercedes that had followed Virgona from his home to the murder scene, or which one of them fired the fatal shots but said their guilt was based on them acting together.
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Mark Gibson said Virgona had no criminal associations and was not associated with the Mongols bikie gang, like Ong and Rider both were.
“There is nothing in Virgona’s background to explain why he was targeted and killed,” he said.
Antonietta Virgona said her husband was an easy-going, carefree and knowledgeable man with a passion for cars, motorbikes, sports and especially food.
He would stop at a pasticceria on his way home from work and pick up pastries for his wife and family.
“It wasn’t uncommon for Paul to spontaneously decide that we all needed ice cream and drive us to a gelateria for a serving of mouth-watering ice cream,” she said.
“He enjoyed the simple things in life and was easily pleased.”
Virgona had begun to wind down his business to spend more time with his family, but with his death, that task fell to her.
“I had imagined a long life growing old together,” she said.
“Paul was my everything. I live every day with sadness. I will miss Paul for the rest of my life.”
Supporters of Ong and Rider were in court and shed tears as the family spoke.
Virgona’s parents Giuseppe and Geraldine Virgona, and his brother Marc Virgona were also in court for the pre-sentence hearing, which is continuing.
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