Blonde bombshell, 27, is questioned by police over why fugitive gangster accused of murdering his girlfriend, 26, was found in her Sydney apartment - and they have a VERY striking resemblance
- Crystal Shihada, 27, spoke to police about why fugitive gangster was in her flat
- Ricardo 'Rick' Barbaro, 33, was arrested in Ms Shihada's Sydney unit on Thursday
- Barbaro allegedly killed his on-off girlfriend Ellie Price, 26, earlier this month
- Ms Price was found dead in her south Melbourne home on Monday, May 4
- After a 10-day interstate manhunt, Barbaro was discovered in Ms Shihada's unit
A glamorous blonde woman has been questioned by police about why accused fugitive killer Ricardo 'Rick' Barbaro was found in her apartment.
Crystal Shihada, 27, spoke to police on Friday after Barbaro was arrested inside her Western Sydney penthouse following a 10-day interstate manhunt on Thursday.
After questioning Ms Shihada, police said that 'inquiries remain ongoing', according to The Daily Telegraph.
Ms Shihada bears a striking resemblance to Barbaro's ex Ellie Price, 26, who was found dead in her south Melbourne townhouse on May 4.
After a ten-day manhunt, Barbaro was found at Ms Shihada's Wentworth Park unit just after midnight on Thursday.
It is not known how, or if, Barbaro knows her. Daily Mail Australia does not suggest Ms Shihada is involved in any wrongdoing.
Crystal Shihada (left), 27, was questioned by police on Friday after accused fugitive killer Ricardo 'Rick' Barbaro was arrested over the alleged murder of Ellie Price (right)
Ms Shihada's questioning comes after Ms Price's four-year-old son learned about his mother's death for the first time on Friday.
Ms Price's mother Tracey Gangell has revealed that she was forced to finally tell her grandson, Mostafa, that his mum was in heaven and never coming home.
Barbaro (pictured) was arrested in Ms Shihada's unit on Thursday. He allegedly killed his on-off girlfriend Ellie Price, 26, who was found dead at the South Melbourne townhouse they shared on May 4
'He walked up to her photo on the fridge and kissed it and said 'I love you mum',' she told the Herald Sun.
Ms Gangell is looking after Mostafa at her home in Tasmania but says she will travel to Melbourne to see that 'justice is served'.
Following Barbaro's arrest on Thursday she said: 'I am relieved. The police have done an amazing job.
'I hope justice prevails.'
Barbaro is accused of killing the mother-of-one between April 29 and May 4 inside the South Melbourne unit they shared, before fleeing the city.
The 33-year-old mafia enforcer was moved from the cells at Burwood Local Court on Thursday afternoon, before being taken to a nearby jail ahead of the long drive back home alongside Victoria Police on Friday.
During a brief court hearing at Parramatta on Thursday morning, Barbaro had Gold Coast solicitor Campbell MacCallum in his corner, representing him over the phone.
Mr MacCallum, a gym junkie, is well known on the sunshine strip for his flashy jewellery, 'gangsta chic' office and sometimes even wearing a purple suit to court.
Ms Gangell said she told Mostafa a few days ago that his mum was in 'heaven' and never coming home
Ricardo Barbaro (pictured) is led from the cells at Burwood Local Court on Thursday afternoon. He will be taken to a nearby jail to spend the night, before returning to Melbourne on Friday
Barbaro was sporting a cut to his head, after allegedly resisting arrest when NSW Police came knocking
Sporting a cut to his head and wearing bright red runners, Barbaro was led away in handcuffs ahead of a return to Melbourne to face charges of murdering his girlfriend
Veteran Gold Coast criminal defence lawyer Campbell MacCallum in a light-hearted pandemic isolation photo last month
The colourful legal heavyweight is himself draped in tattoos and is known for his 'gangsta' fashion sense, and the high-profile names he regularly represents.
MacCallum told Daily Mail Australia he has only had the opportunity to speak with Barbaro on the phone and is yet to see the specifics of the police allegations.
Mr MacCallum confirmed Barbaro, who will face court on a murder charge on May 16, suffered 'lacerations and some bruising' in a standoff with officers last night.
Barbaro allegedly attempted to resist arrest and was injured in the process, with a gash to the right hand side of his visible in photos of him being led out of the Burwood cells.
The maverick lawyer has called several footballers past and present among his clients, including Ben Barba.
Mr MacCallum has long represented members of the Barbaro clan - including Ricardo's brothers Harley and Rossario - through his firm, Moloney MacCallum Abdulshaheid (MMA).
The lawyer said police have sometimes used the family's name to taunt members of the clan.
Ricardo's brother, Pasquale, was infamously gunned down in a gangland hit in 2017. Some of his relatives have historic ties with the Calabrian mafia.
'It's no secret that they can't be considered angels, especially in my experience recently with young Harley Barbaro - who is a great young kid,' Mr MacCallum said.
MacCallum with Harley Barbaro - Ricardo's brother and a long-time client
Extradited: Ricardo Barbaro (left) will face court in Melbourne on Saturday and will be charged with the murder of his girlfriend Ellie Price (right)
Barbaro was in an on-again-off-again relationship with Ms Price (left) since October 2019
MacCallum (left, with his sister) comes from a family of lawyers and is well known on the Gold Coast for sometimes rocking up to court in a purple suit (on right)
Barbaro was found hiding in Sydney's west, in an apartment belonging to Crystal Shihada (above). It is unknown how Barbaro knows Mrs Shihada, and it is not suggested she was involved in any wrongdoing
Homicide officers from Victoria Police are in Sydney and will extradite Barbaro back to Victoria
'He has constant harassment and attention by police for the smallest of matters and whilst they are executing warrants on his house they often make remarks.'
Harley has previously been accused of being a member of the Villains outlaw motorcycle club.
Mr MacCallum said he had been fascinated by crime since he was very young and becoming a defence lawyer was a way of stimulating his interest.
He has become known on the Gold Coast for his 'gangster chic' office with Versace rugs and 2Pac and Scarface posters on the wall.
Mr MacCallum prepares for a bodybuilding competition (right)
'I deck my office out how ever I want to without any regard to anyone else's opinion, he said.
Mr MacCallum said his clients can 'relate' to his interests, which include gangster rap music, but know he is a professional person.
Only occasionally has his fashion sense made things complicated at court - such as when large diamond earrings he used to wear upset a magistrate.
'I've never wanted to conform to how people should or shouldn't look, he said. 'I just want to do my own thing'.
Ricardo Barbaro will face Melbourne Magistrates Court for the first time in two days' time.
HOW FUGITIVE RICARDO BARBARO WAS CAPTURED
The bashed door at the Wentworth Point apartment where Barbaro was arrested
The arrest of fugitive Ricardo Barbaro came after a tense stand off with police in Sydney, as he refused to leave the apartment of a glamorous woman.
Barbaro, 33, was arrested about 12.15am on Thursday after a 10-day manhunt by national police over the death of his girlfriend Ellie Price in a Melbourne unit. He will be extradited to Victoria.
Court documents said police plan to charge Barbaro with the offence of murdering Ms Price between April 29 and May 4.
Detectives last week appealed to the public for information on the whereabouts of Barbaro, and called for him to come forward.
Police finally closed in on Australia's most wanted man last night after a tip off.
He was found at a unit belonging to a woman at Wentworth Park in Sydney's inner west.
Barbaro was apprehended in a top floor apartment of this unit block in Sydney's west
