A father who gunned down another man over claims he stole a wallet has been found guilty of murder.
Luke James Picking, 42, admitted he killed Abdurhman Jemal, 33, in March 2024 but denied he committed murder, arguing he accidentally pulled the trigger.
The Victorian Supreme Court jury on Wednesday rejected his claims, finding Picking guilty of murdering Jemal outside a Glenroy shopping strip in Melbourne’s north.
Luke James Picking (centre) arrives at the Melbourne Supreme Court in Melbourne, Wednesday, September 24, 2025. (AAP)
Picking’s 19-year-old son Brodi was acquitted of murder but found guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter.
The jury was told Brodi knew Jemal, but the pair had a falling out in early March after Brodi accused the 33-year-old of stealing his wallet.
The two men had an argument in a Bunnings car park on March 28, with Brodi allegedly telling a friend he was “going to f—ing kill the c—“, the jury was told.
In the hour before the shooting, Brodi and Luke Picking drove past locations connected to Jemal, including his mother’s home.
They located Jemal driving a red Hyundai in Glenroy and followed him until he pulled over and confronted them.
CCTV footage played to the jury showed yelling between the two groups before Jemal was shot in the face.
Luke Picking said “you want a f—ing air raid” to Jemal before firing the gun and speeding off, the jury was told.
He died after suffering multiple shotgun pellet wounds to the face and neck.
Prosecutors alleged after the killing, Luke Picking contacted his friend Ian Harris, 49, to dispose of the gun.
Harris was found not guilty of the charge of assisting an offender.
Brodi and Luke Picking were remanded in custody as they wait to face a pre-sentence hearing.