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Murder of Albanian immigrant that shocked Australia, accused sentenced twice

2026-08-18 11:47:15Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA NGA LEAH SMITH, THE ADVERTISER

Murder of Albanian immigrant that shocked Australia, accused sentenced twice

A devoted father who tried to provide for his family by raiding a drug house with four other men has been convicted for the second time, almost seven years after he killed a beloved father-of-three who was working to support his family abroad.

In June 2025, the Supreme Court of South Australia convicted Jason Paul Howell, 37, for his involvement in the 2018 murder of Albanian father Urim Gjabri, during a cannabis robbery that ended in murder.

Howell was found guilty at trial of manslaughter after he and four other people drove from Murray Bridge to Adelaide to force their way into Mr Gjabri's home in Para Vista and steal the cannabis.

Mr. Gjabri was confronted by Aaron Donald Carver, 38; Benjamin John Mitchell, 39; Alfred Claude Rigney, 52; Matt Bernard Tenhoopen, 30; and Howell, and suffered a fatal head injury after being attacked with a cricket bat.

It is not known who delivered the fatal blow, but it was not alleged during the trial that it was Howell.

Instead, Judge Laura Stein said she would sentence Howell on the basis that he had been part of a joint criminal enterprise and that he knew he would bring a gun into the house.

“... You did not foresee that one of the other men could cause the resident serious bodily harm or death with intent to kill, but you did foresee the possibility that the stick could be used to subdue the resident, causing serious injury,” she said.

Mr. Gjabri was found a few days later, after being left to die inside the house.

During sentencing, Judge Stein – who was later promoted to chief judge – said that Mr. Gjabri was a father of three children and that his family had suffered great emotional, psychological, financial and physical consequences following his death.

“Mr. Gjabri left Albania to come to Australia to find work and provide financial support for his wife and three children... Mr. Gjabri’s wife spoke of him as a good, intelligent and hard-working man,” said Judge Stein.

“The sentence I am giving does not numerically represent Mr. Gjabri's life; it is impossible to put a value on his life.”

"Violent, unprovoked and unjustified attacks on a person in the safety of their home are abhorrent and such behavior threatens the safety of the community."

Carver, Mitchell, Rigney and Tenhoopen were initially found guilty of Mr Gjabri’s murder by a Supreme Court jury, but this verdict was later overturned after the High Court of Australia found that the jury had not been properly instructed on the controversial legal principle of “constructive murder” – liability for murder arising from participation in another violent crime.

They were found guilty again in a retrial and each was sentenced in February by Judge Julie McIntyre to life in prison, with a minimum term of 20 years without parole.

Because of the varying periods they had spent in both pretrial detention and conditional house arrest, she ordered Mitchell and Tenhoopen to serve just under 15 years without parole each.

An appeal against this decision was dismissed in June.

Judge Stein said Howell had been honest with police after his arrest and that he was "shocked and disturbed" by the attack.

"Before you left the house where the cannabis was grown, you saw blood flowing down Mr. Gjabri's face," Judge Stein said.

"When you returned to your home, you were extremely shaken, vomiting several times, and in a serious emotional state."

The court heard that Howell suffered from severe epileptic seizures (grand mal), which had worsened while he was in custody, and that he had sincere and deep remorse for the act he had committed.

"You apologized, you admitted that you ruined their lives and that you took everything from them. You said you would carry the guilt every day, for the rest of your life," Judge Stein said.

“You expressed your disgust with yourself, your desire to be able to give Mr. Gjabri his life back, your deep remorse, and your willingness to make efforts to repair the damage, accepting the sentence that this court imposes.”

Judge Stein sentenced Howell to seven years in prison, with a minimum period of five years without parole.

The judge reduced his sentence by four years and one month, taking into account the time he had spent under house arrest and in detention following his arrest in November 2018.

The remaining sentence, of two years and 11 months, with a minimum period of 11 months without parole, was deemed to have begun to run from December 5, 2024.


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