Vittorio Stefanato told a helpless woman, “I’m going over there to the shed, I fetch the gun, and if you’re still here, I shoot you,” just before he shot her in the head.
Stefanato fatally shot Christine Neilan in January 2020 in the vicinity of his Lightning Ridge tourist destination Amigo’s Castle, claiming to be “under stress” from various neighborhood residents who kept pestering him for cash.
The 75-year-old was given a minimum term of 13 years and seven months in prison on Friday after entering a guilty plea to Neilan’s murder.
Judge Robert Allan Hulme of the NSW Supreme Court characterized his acts as cruel, pointless, and nasty.
The judge described Neilan as a reassuring source of love and support, describing the grief of her four children, her grandkids, sisters, and mother as “enormous.”
On the morning of January 8, Neilan was on Stefanato’s property with another woman, and they both reportedly solicited him for money.
He placed $100 on the table, but when the other woman snatched all the money, Neilan pleaded for more. Stefanato told her to leave after denying her request and claiming he needed to grab his rifle from the shed.
He shot her with a.22 caliber rifle while Neilan stood up, took her body to his garage, and covered it with carpet underlay.
Following a nap and several glasses of wine, he went to the town’s bank and bowling alley in an effort to fabricate an alibi.
He transferred her body that evening beyond his gate, where it was discovered the following morning.
Stefanato initially denied any involvement for more than 18 months, but on October 18, 2021, he finally admitted it after telling authorities he was tired of being approached for money.
“It probably happened to the wrong woman,” he said, “because she didn’t deserve to be killed.”
The court was informed that Stefanato had a quiet upbringing in Italy before emigrating to Australia, where he constructed a castle in the opal mining community to help him deal with his occasional feelings of loss over never having a family.
Despite Stefanato’s early admission of guilt, early admission of guilt, and elderly age, Justice Hulme stated that Stefanato’s stress and rage were not sufficient justifications for his murderous actions.
“Shooting a defenseless woman in the head at close range with the intent to kill her is an unusually callous and gravely serious crime of murder,” Justice Hulme told the Dubbo court.
“It was a harsh yet senseless thing to do.”
The maximum sentence was determined by the judge at 18 years and 2 months. In May 2035, Stefanato will be able to apply for parole.
