The elderly woman who helped her son hire a hitman to kill a witness in a murder trial claims she suffers dementia and was a victim of “ruthless exploitation”.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Maria Cardamone and her son Michael had coded conversations while he was in custody, facing what would become a life sentence for the murder of Whorouly’s Karen Chetcuti (nee Verbunt).
Referring to cash as “gnocchi”, they discussed the $25,000 fee to help deal with Edward George – the key prosecution witness who was set to testify that he helped Michael Cardamone set Ms Chetcuti’s car on fire.
The conversations were all recorded by police.
Investigators tracked Maria Cardamone, 78, in March as she withdrew money from her account, placed a $9000 deposit in a package in a Harvey Norman shopping bag, and handed it to a contact in Reservoir in Melbourne.
Three days later, the “hitman” – actually an undercover officer – told Michael the job had been done.
Despite Maria Cardamone’s guilty plea to attempting to pervert the course of justice, Crown prosecutor Andrew Moore told Wangaratta County Court on Friday he accepted she did not know details of the arranged kill plot.
“The prosecution case is that she knew the funds were going to an effort to prevent Edward George giving evidence,” he said.
Maria Cardamone appeared in court via video link from Dame Phyllis Frost Centre with an Italian interpreter, but was seen to answer some questions in English.
Defence barrister Rob Stary argued her moral culpability was reduced and she should not be an example for general deterrence because she was susceptible to Michael Cardamone, believing he was innocent of murder.
“She has come under the sphere of influence of her son in this offence,” he said.
About the same time as her arrest in May, Maria Cardamone was diagnosed with depression and dementia.
Mr Stary said she planned to live at a Melbourne aged-care facility when released.
He and Mr Moore agreed the 127 days in custody served so far was an appropriate total sentence.
Judge Gerard Mullaly said he would consider their arguments and requested Maria Cardamone be brought to Wangaratta for sentencing on September 22.
Speaking outside court, Karen Chetcuti’s former husband Tony Chetcuti said he was happy Maria Cardamone would be forced to come to Wangaratta and face court in person for sentencing.
He said it hurt that both sides agreed her time already served in custody would be enough, because he wanted to see a longer sentence, and disagreed with the defence argument that she did not realise she was helping to set up another murder.
“I don’t think that’s the case at all to be honest, she knew exactly what was going on,” he said.
“We want to put it all behind us and move on.”
Michael Cardamone ‘played me silly’: victim
Life has been “a living hell” for Myrtleford man Edward George since he was dragged into Michael Cardamone’s plan to cover up a murder.
He thought he was helping with an insurance job when he set fire to Karen Chetcuti’s red Citroen in January 2016, but that act first led Cardamone to try to blame him for murder, then try to have him killed.
Mr George’s victim impact statement was read to Wangaratta County Court on Friday.
“Since the night the accused came to my place on the 18th of January and played me silly, my life has been turned upside-down,” he said.
“I’m very wary of everybody, I can’t trust nobody because my life was in danger.”
Attention from the Cardamones forced him to relocate and he suffered anxiety.
“In my honest opinion, they should get what’s coming to them,” Mr George said.
