The
Melbourne gangland killings were the murders in
Melbourne,
Victoria,
Australia of 36 criminal figures or partners between 16 January 1998 and 13 August 2010. The murders were in a series of
retributional murders involving various
underworld groups. The deaths caused a sustained
power vacuum within Melbourne's criminal community, as various factions fought for control and influence. The majority of the murders are still unsolved, although police from the Purana Taskforce believe that
Carl Williams was responsible for ten of them. The period culminated in the arrest of Carl Williams, who pleaded guilty on 28 February 2007 to three of the murders.