Andrew “Benji” Veniamin – Naked City: Hitmen Premiere Spotlights Melbourne’s Deadliest Killers
Tonight on Channel 9 at 9:00 PM (and streaming on 9Now), veteran crime journalist John Silvester launches the gripping three-part documentary Naked City: Hitmen.
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Join NowThe series exposes how petty crooks—armed robbers, car thieves, and bag snatchers—evolved into Australia’s most ruthless contract killers amid the infamous Melbourne gangland war of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The premiere episode traces this chilling transformation, starting with Carl Williams, a suburban pill-pusher whose quest for revenge after surviving an attack ignited a cycle of bloodshed.
Williams built a lethal inner circle of executioners, turning low-level criminals into calculated assassins. Central to tonight’s story is Andrew “Benji” Veniamin: the volatile, tattooed triggerman who became Williams’ closest ally and one of the era’s most feared hitmen.
Drawing on never-before-seen evidence from the Purana Taskforce—including secret police buggings, planning discussions, and explosive recordings—viewers get an unflinching look inside the hit teams.
A standout moment: friendly banter captured on tape between Veniamin and underworld figure Mick Gatto just days before their deadly confrontation at La Porcella restaurant in Carlton on March 23, 2004. What started as a meeting escalated into a back-room shootout; Gatto fired the fatal shots (one to the head, two to the neck), claiming self-defense after Veniamin allegedly drew a gun.
\Gatto was later acquitted, but Veniamin—suspected in at least seven murders—became the 25th casualty of the war.
Police linked Veniamin to high-profile hits like the 2002 drive-by of Victor Peirce and executions of former associates such as Paul Kallipolitis and Dino Dibra. Known for his hot temper, revolver preference, and flashy style, he embodied the shift to younger, more unpredictable violence.
The episode reveals how investigators pieced together cases initially treated separately, zeroing in on suspects like Veniamin through overlapping evidence. It highlights the human cost, investigative breakthroughs, and the ruthless efficiency of these “contractors always on the clock.”
Naked City: Hitmen—directed by Michael Venables and Graham Watson for JAM TV—offers raw insight into Melbourne’s darkest chapter, building on Silvester’s reporting that inspired Underbelly.
Don’t miss tonight’s premiere: a landmark dive into the guns-for-hire culture that defined an era. Catch it on Channel 9 or stream on 9Now. Part two airs March 11, part three March 18.
