An inquest has been told that Anthony Koletti went to smoke a joint with a friend the night that Melissa Caddick vanished before deleting a string of text messages. Koletti also claims the fraudster wore “grandma” underpants and was physically “wonderful.”
When she was last seen leaving their Dover Heights home, Mrs. Koletti was wearing black workout attire and “grandma” type undergarments, according to Mr. Koletti.
He said that his wife was “extremely healthy,” a “natural leader,” and only drank Chardonnay on the weekends in a missing person’s questionnaire.
She liked “skiing, running, and walking,” smoked three Winfield Gold cigarettes daily, and her “fictional idol” was Joan of Arc, according to Mr. Koletti.
The questionnaire was released as Mr. Koletti was deleting text messages from his phone to conceal from police that he had smoked a joint with a friend the night his wife vanished, according to testimony in the NSW inquest into Ms. Caddick’s disappearance.
He said in court that on the evening of November 12, 2020, he drove to a friend’s residence to buy a “e-cigarette.”
Counsel assisting Jason Downing SC questioned, “Was it really to smoke a joint?”
I’m not sure whether it’s conceivable, Mr. Koletti said.
You must keep in mind, Mr. Downing said.
What’s your point, let’s just suppose I did? stated Mr. Koletti.
Mr. Downing said, “On a night you told us you were doing searches all day, you really went to smoke a joint with a buddy.”
In order to calm himself down, Mr. Koletti acknowledged that he was worried about his wife.
Before turning over his phone to police to aid in their investigations, Mr. Koletti deleted the texts he had sent and received with that friend, according to Mr. Downing.
According to Mr. Koletti, using marijuana must have been a factor in doing that.
On November 13, he officially reported his wife missing, and he was questioned about his whereabouts the previous evening.
Not that I am aware of, he said.
The strange accounts follow a difficult court day for Mr. Koletti, who looked to have been moved to tears by ‘confusing’ inquiries.
He was excused from testifying on Wednesday after being questioned by the coroner’s assistant’s attorney whether he could read.
You can read, Mr. Koletti, can’t you? I am so perplexed by your queries, Ms. Caddick’s husband said in response to Jason Downing S.
The outburst happened when Mr. Koletti was questioned about a contradiction about the disappearance of his wife.
He explained to Mr. Downing that he believed Ms. Caddick had left the house to exercise on the morning of November 12, 2020, when she vanished.
He told police in an interview, “I didn’t think anything of it… she’s simply gone for a stroll, which she does every day, not a problem.”
In the testimony, Mr. Koletti concurred that his wife had no routines, a sporadic exercise schedule, and mostly ran on the treadmill.
On Wednesday, Mr. Downing pressed Mr. Koletti about this contradiction and inquired as to whether he was now making an effort to defend his responses.
One of the stories must not be accurate, according to Mr. Downing.
I’m assuming that’s the case, Koletti said.
Why are you speculating? said Mr. Downing.
Because of how perplexing his inquiries were, Mr. Koletti said, “The way you speak is not how my mind works.”
Everyone thinks differently. You must comprehend that. You don’t, in my opinion. I’ve had a lot of experiences, in case you didn’t notice.
His attorney informed the court that the man needed to be evaluated before making a return after he had spent the day dozing off in the NSW Coroners Court building.
His attorney Judy Swan said, “We will be bringing him to see someone, he may be alright, but we are not physicians.”
At some point, Ms. Ryan requested Mr. Koletti to leave the witness stand, stating that she depended on his ability to concentrate and provide accurate answers.
If judged appropriate, Mr. Koletti could return on Thursday to provide testimony.
It comes as Melissa Caddick’s brother asserts that her family emphatically rejects the idea that her husband would have injured her or been involved in her disappearance. Melissa Caddick is a missing fraudster.
The family is “floored,” according to Adam Grimley, that the lawyer helping the inquiry into Ms. Caddick’s probable death seems to be “going after” his brother-in-law.
He characterized Anthony Koletti as a “very nice and lovely guy” who is still cherished by the family in a statement to Deputy State Coroner Elizabeth Ryan on September 19.
Mr. Grimley said, “I make this remark in reaction to the line of inquiry pursued by counsel assisting which indicates that my brother-in-law… might have hurt my sister or in some way have been involved in her abduction.”
“The family completely rejects such views and is really shocked that counsel assisting seems to be going after Anthony and implying Anthony or the police are to responsible for Melissa’s abduction,”
He observed that counsel seemed to be presenting “unverified rumour as truth” and said that Mr. Koletti had had great suffering as a result of losing his wife, being shocked by her behavior, and the unfounded claims that followed.
The declaration was presented in court before Mr. Koletti was asked to testify this week, but on Wednesday, he was ordered to leave owing to his bewilderment and concern.
Elizabeth Ryan, Deputy State Coroner, is still conducting the investigation.