Two Gunmen Get 34 Years for Cafe Execution — Who Paid Is Still Unknown

The triggers have names and prison numbers. The finger that pointed them does not. On September 8, 2026, Jaeden Tito, 25, and Rabii Zahabe, 26, were each sent to prison for 34 years for a daylight contract killing in Melbourne, while the person who allegedly planned it, funded it and knew exactly where the victim would be sitting has never been charged. ⁴⁷

In the Supreme Court of Victoria, Justice Michael O'Connell sentenced both men for the murder of 50-year-old Gavin "Capable" Preston and the attempted murder of his associate Abbas "AJ" Maghnie. ⁴⁷ Tito must serve 26 years before parole eligibility, with 1,049 days of pre-sentence detention declared. ⁴ Zahabe must serve 27 years, with 808 days declared. ⁴ Prosecutors had sought life sentences for each. ⁴⁷

On the morning of Saturday, September 9, 2023, Preston and Maghnie were sitting outside Sweet Lulu's Cafe in Keilor, in Melbourne's north-west. ²¹¹ The cafe manager later testified that Preston "never" sat outside until the day he was shot. ¹¹ Two masked men dressed in black jumped from a stolen car and opened fire, firing 11 shots in about 10 seconds as brunch patrons scrambled for cover. ²¹⁰¹¹ Preston, described in court and by police as one of Melbourne's most violent gangland figures, was hit seven times and died at the scene. ⁴⁷ Maghnie was shot in the stomach and suffered life-threatening injuries to his bowel and urinary system, surviving only after multiple operations. ⁴

The killing was planned over hours, not minutes. ⁵⁷ The court heard the pair had been lying in wait near the cafe after receiving intelligence on Preston's location, part of what the judge called a meticulously planned contract killing. ⁵⁷ Prosecutors said the men travelled interstate from New South Wales to carry out the hit, using pre-positioned stolen getaway cars, some with cloned number plates and tinted windows. ⁵⁷ The attempt to destroy evidence failed in spectacular fashion when one of the men set himself on fire while torching a car. ¹ A pre-booked chauffeur was waiting to return them to Sydney. ⁵ DNA recovered from clothing, a fuel can and car handles, along with digital traces, linked them to the plot, and a jury convicted them on May 8, 2026. ⁶

O'Connell stressed the danger to bystanders and said Preston's own criminal history did not diminish the law's protection of his life. ⁴ He declined life sentences sought by the prosecution, citing the offenders' age — both were 22 at the time of the offence — their lack of prior violent convictions and the harsh conditions of their custody. ⁴⁷ Still, he imposed a term above the standard sentence because of the gravity of the crime, its planning, the financial motive and the high moral culpability involved. ⁴

Two details sharpen what the court heard. After the shooting the pair drove to Sydney and, according to reporting, Zahabe searched for countries with no extradition treaties. ¹ The convicted men have not named anyone. ⁴ Motive theories aired at trial included a purported $5 million contract after Preston allegedly tried to steal the interred body of a rival's sister — Meshlin Marrogi, the sister of George Marrogi — as well as speculation pointing at various Sydney and Comanchero-linked figures. ⁸⁹ None has been substantiated as the commission behind the crime, which the court described as directed by a mysterious gangland mastermind with critical intelligence on where Preston would be. ⁹