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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
National
Sam Rigney

Cryptic text message after grandmother's murder about 'drugs', jury told

PROSECUTORS say it was a message sent to the man who masterminded the execution-style murder of his mother-in-law to let him know the shooting had been carried out.

But a cryptic text sent to Stuart Campbell less than an hour after Stacey Klimovitch was shot dead in Stockton could have been referring to drugs and was not sent at the request of the alleged hitman, a jury has been told.

Mrs Klimovitch was the victim of a "premeditated and targeted" shooting when she answered her front door in Queen Street about 8pm on June 9, 2021, the culmination of an ugly dispute with her former son-in-law.

Prosecutors say the man at the door was accused Canberra hitman Jason Paul Hawkins, now 48, who had been hired by Campbell and who shot Mrs Klimovitch once in the chest with a shotgun at close range.

Stacey Klimovitch was shot inStacey Klimovitch was shot in the chest with a shotgun when she answered her front door in Queen Street, Stockton in June, 2021. the chest with a shotgun when she answered her front door in Queen Street, Stockton in June, 2021.

Mr Hawkins has pleaded not guilty to murder and is facing a trial in Newcastle Supreme Court focusing on the identity of the gunman who shot Mrs Klimovitch.

He admits he did get in the car bound for Stockton on the night Mrs Klimovitch was murdered, but says he got dropped off a short time later and did not make the trip across the Stockton bridge.

The cryptic text message, which was sent to Campbell from an associate at 8.42pm on June 9, 2021, reads: "I think Jase said to say it's all bagged up. I'm not sure but yeah lol."

Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield read the text to the jury during his opening address and said it was the prosecution case that it was "a message to say the murder had been carried out".

But when quizzed on Tuesday as to why she sent the message, the author told the jury it would have had "something to do with drugs".

"That's all that was about," the woman said. "Drugs, drugs, drugs."

The woman denied suggestions from Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield, SC, that she had sent the message to Campbell at the request of Mr Hawkins and claimed she was not referring to Mr Hawkins when she said "Jase".

Jason Paul Hawkins is on trial in Newcastle Supreme Court accused of murdering Stacey Klimovitch at Stockton in June, 2021.

Under cross-examination from defence barrister Ben Bickford, the woman agreed she had another friend who was involved in drug activity and the message to Campbell could have been related to that.

Meanwhile, another man gave evidence on Wednesday that Campbell had attempted to recruit him to murder Mrs Klimovitch.

The man, who cannot be identified, said he started buying drugs from Campbell, fell into debt and the pair agreed to meet.

At this meeting, the man claimed Campbell asked him: "To go and take care of an old lady".

He said Campbell told him the woman was "his ex-mother-in-law" and he was unhappy with her "because she had slapped him".

In exchange for "taking care of her", Campbell offered the man drugs and to wipe his debt, but the man ultimately said he wouldn't do it.

The prosecution case is that Campbell eventually recruited Mr Hawkins to be the shooter and another man to drive him to and from Stockton on the night of the murder.

Meanwhile, while the murder plot was being executed, Campbell made sure he had an alibi by going through a fast food drive-thru.

Campbell was charged with murder but died before facing trial.

The trial continues.

Specialist police examining the crime scene at the front door of a home at Stockton where Stacey Klimovitch was shot and killed in June, 2021. Picture by Max Mason-Hubers
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