A dispute over $534 in speeding fines has ended with a beloved family man fatally shot in the back, his body desecrated and two men being jailed.
Adrian Romeo, 42, vanished after telling his parents he was going to visit associates in Greenvale, in Melbourne’s north, in February 2024.
The victim had previously hired a car for Robert Mantini to use and was following up for payment over two $267 speeding fines he incurred.
Mantini, who had paid about $100, retrieved a pump-action shotgun when Mr Romeo turned up at his home on February 10.
He then pointed the barrel at Mr Romeo inside the home, causing the victim to cower into a ball, pleading for the killer “not to do this”.
Mantini ordered Mr Romeo to "get the f*** out" and as he slowly got up, he was again smacked in the back with the shotgun.
The victim retreated to the door as Mantini fired a single round into his back, killing the 42-year-old.
He then called Shane Dalton, 66, a friend of 30 years, after bundling Mr Romeo's body into the trunk of his gold Camry and driving it to his friend's place.
The 61-year-old killer was on Thursday jailed for a minimum of nine years and two months after pleading guilty to homicide by firearm, a form of manslaughter.
Dalton, who helped move and conceal Mr Romeo’s body, was handed a 10-month term and a community sentence after pleading guilty to assisting an offender.
The friend also provided Mantini a demolition saw before the killer decimated the victim's car and burnt Mr Romeo's body.
When homicide detectives arrived at his home, Dalton alerted Mantini and also organised for the killer to swap cars and clothes with another friend to avoid arrest.
He also concealed his friend's phone from police.
But the game was soon up, with police arresting Mantini in July 2024 and nabbing Dalton that October.
After extensive searches for the victim, Mr Romeo's remains were discovered at a Wildwood property on Melbourne's outskirts in December 2025, one suburb over from his last known location.
His killer slumped forward in the dock of the Victorian Supreme Court on Thursday as Justice Kerri Judd handed down a 13-year, six-month sentence.
"You took extreme steps to conceal and dispose of Mr Romeo’s body, with complete disregard for his dignity and the distress of his family," she told Mantini.
She referred to victim impact statements from Mr Romeo's grieving family, who described him as loyal, devoted and a cornerstone of the family.
Dalton shook his head throughout the sentencing as Justice Judd described his assistance as "multifaceted, material, not confined in time", finding he knew what Mantini had done.
"Your actions contributed greatly to the grief and uncertainty experienced by members of Mr Romeo’s family," she said.
Mantini, an Italian national, faces the prospect of being deported after his sentence.
