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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
National
Sam Rigney

Heavily pregnant underworld murder accused making urgent bid for bail

A HEAVILY-PREGNANT former Hunter Valley woman charged with murder over the underworld shooting of a Sydney drug dealer will make an urgent bid to be released on bail next week.

Ferenc 'David' Stemler was found dead, shot several times, on Broughton Street at Canterbury in the early hours of July 27 last year.

Mr Stemler's death triggered outrage in Sydney as it was the fifth shooting in the space of a few weeks and because news pictures showed his body was momentarily visible to children walking to school the next morning.

And the murder led to police forming Taskforce Magnus to investigate the spike in underworld shootings.

After a seven-month investigation, detectives arrested 23-year-old expectant mother Rhylee Peta Stig at Wetherill Park last month.

Ms Stig, formerly from East Maitland, and 27-year-old Sione Langi were later both charged with murdering Mr Stemler.

Police allege Rhylee Peta Stig was involved in the killing of Ferenc "David" Stemler in Sydney in July 2023. Picture by NSW Police
Ferenc 'David' Stemler was found dead, shot several times, on Broughton Street at Canterbury. Picture sourced from Facebook
Police allege Rhylee Peta Stig was involved in the killing of Ferenc "David" Stemler in Sydney in July 2023. Picture by NSW Police

Mr Langi was allegedly involved with two other men in a daylight shooting at an inner-west hair salon at Marrickville on July 7 last year, which wounded two men aged 20 and 33.

Police allege that Ms Stig, who was unknown to police until her arrest, was a "lackey" who helped orchestrate the bloody hit on Mr Stemler, who investigators say had associations with organised crime in Sydney's underworld but was not a "major player".

"We are not making any suggestions about Stemler's involvement in organised crime," Detective Inspector Virginia Gorman said last month. "He was known to police. He was a local man and grew up with a number of people in the area who have also been victims of these crimes, so there are associations, but that doesn't make him a major player in organised crime. "My understanding is that Stemler and the victims of the Marrickville shooting went to school together."

While Ms Stig had no known association with Mr Stemler, police allege that she was connected to Langi via "other associates".

Police allege Ms Stig was part of a "greater criminal enterprise" and that she knew about the July 27 hit and helped the shooter before and after Mr Stemler was gunned down.

"I wouldn't say [she was] a 'mastermind'," Inspector Gorman said. "More like a lackey doing tasks."

Lawyers for Ms Stig have lodged a bail application with the NSW Supreme Court and she is listed for hearing on April 5.

It comes as detectives on Monday released CCTV showing the lead-up and aftermath of Mr Stemler's murder.

The CCTV shows a white Lexus - stolen in July last year - arriving at the Casula Central carpark about 10.25pm on July 18 to "lay in wait" for the planned shooting.

The Lexus is seen being "checked on" by a black hatchback and dark-coloured hatchback on July 20 and again on July 24.

The Lexus' lights are seen flashing as the keys appeared to be tested.

Just before 9.50pm on July 26, a white Commodore - believed to be stolen in April 2016 - enters the carpark from Pine Road, before leaving in convoy with the white Lexus.

Both cars travel to the carpark of a townhouse a short distance away on Pine Road, where they wait for approximately three hours.

At 1.04am on July 27, the cars are seen exiting the M5 Motorway at Bexley Road in Kingsgrove.

CCTV then captures the moment Mr Stemler approaches the Commodore outside his address on Broughton Street in Canterbury before he is fatally shot.

Detectives believe the meeting was prearranged.

After the fatal shooting, the white Lexus and a dark hatchback are seen in convoy in Casula on their way to burn out the Lexus used in the shooting.

Detectives are appealing for anyone with information about the movements of the cars or shooting incident to contact police.

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