Hot shot killer
UPDATE: The mother of murder victim Clare Garabedian is pleading for the deportation of Martin Coates, who could be released from prison as early as next month. Jan Garabedian, 81, is devastated not only by the loss of her daughter but also by the prospect of Coates walking free in the community.
In an emotional interview, Ms. Garabedian expressed her fears, stating, “It can’t happen.” She is calling for Coates, a convicted killer in the 1998 heroin overdose murder of her daughter, to be deported from Australia. Clare was just 21 years old when she was lured to a room at the Great Eastern Motor Lodge in Rivervale, where she was injected with heroin and smothered with a pillow.
The chilling details of this case reveal that Coates had paid $2,000 to a contract killer, known as “Mr. X,” to eliminate Clare as a witness in a legal case involving him and his girlfriend, Amanda Kaylene Hoy. Coates’s plan unfolded violently when Clare, struggling against her attackers, was ultimately murdered in a horrifying act of betrayal.
The Prisoners Review Board is set to evaluate Coates for either parole or a resocialization program in mid-January 2024. This development comes after a previous recommendation for Coates to join a resocialization program was rejected by former attorney-general John Quigley in 2023.
Ms. Garabedian’s anguish is compounded by the timing of this potential release, coinciding with the anniversary of her husband Gary Garabedian‘s tragic death in 1993. She described the news of Coates’s impending release as “horrible,” stating, “I can’t imagine what it would be like having him released here.”
With emotions running high, she reiterated her demands: “Just let him out and deport him… There’s no such thing as closure in anything like this, but it can be left in the past.”
In contrast, Coates’s accomplice, Thomas Nicholls, was sentenced to a minimum of 20 years but was released on parole in 2021. Coates himself was initially sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 25 years, later reduced to 23 years after a retrial in 2007. Hoy, who was also sentenced to life, was granted compassionate release in 2018 and passed away shortly thereafter.
A spokesperson for current Attorney-General Tony Buti confirmed that the Prisoners Review Board is preparing to assess Coates for a statutory review. “Following this hearing, the Board will then provide a report to the Attorney General for consideration,” the spokesperson stated.
As the clock ticks down to Coates’s review, the community and the Garabedian family anxiously await what could be a life-altering decision. The emotional weight of this case underlines the profound impact on those left behind, as one grieving mother fights for justice and safety for her family.
Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.
