A Sydney woman recounted a harrowing ordeal in court as she testified about witnessing her husband’s fatal shooting.
Yusuf Nazlioglu, 40, tragically lost his life after being shot multiple times – at least eight – on June 27, 2022, within the underground parking garage of his Rhodes apartment building. He succumbed to his injuries the following day. Three men are currently facing murder charges in connection with the incident: Abdulrahman Atteya, 31; Mohammed Hosni Khaled, 27; and Mohammed Baltagi, 26. All three have entered pleas of not guilty at the NSW Supreme Court.
During today’s session of the trial, Jade Jeske (formerly Heffer), Nazlioglu’s widow, described the terrifying events she witnessed. She recounted seeing an individual, obscured by a mask, approaching her husband with a pistol while he stood near their vehicle.
As the scene unfolded, Jeske instinctively sought cover under the car’s dash. The jury heard how she listened in horror as eight successive gunshots were followed by two additional shots. She managed to record the events on her phone as the shooter fled into a waiting Volkswagen Golf. Upon turning toward her husband, she found him lying on his back.
“Gauging by the amount of shots that I heard…I knew that he was going to be dead,” Jeske stated somberly.
The prosecution alleges that either Atteya or Rabieh Baltagi – who left Australia in July 2022 – were present in the getaway vehicle, and either could have been responsible for carrying out the shooting. Khaled and Mohammed Baltagi are accused of participating in the planning stages of the murder but were not physically present at the scene.
The alleged motive behind Nazlioglu’s killing centers around a dispute involving stolen rental vehicles. Just weeks prior to the shooting, Nazlioglu and Jeske rented two luxury Mercedes-Benz cars from a business located in Lansdale.
Here’s what the court revealed:
* Jeske testified that Issa Ghananim, a friend of her husband, requested they rent these vehicles with instructions not to return them.
* This was purportedly intended as retribution against an employee of the rental company who had allegedly stolen a vehicle from Ghananim while he was incarcerated.
* Following the failure to return the cars, the owners of the rental business reportedly sent threatening messages to Jeske and her family. One message warned: “Return the car before the situation is escalated (car reported stolen) or worse.”
* Jeske explained that when she picked up the first Mercedes-Benz, she allowed the company to take a photo of her driver’s license, which included their Rhodes address.
* Tracking devices were removed from the vehicles; one was later listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace for $1500.
The trial is ongoing.
