More family members of a woman who was murdered by a former co-worker in her own home will confront the killer in court.
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Luay Sako, 39, stabbed Celeste Manno to death in her Mernda home in Melbourne's northeast in the early hours of November 16, 2020.
The pair were briefly co-workers but he began harassing and stalking her after she turned him down romantically.
On the night before her death, Ms Manno posted a photo of her boyfriend for the first time on Instagram.
A few hours later, Sako broke into her bedroom while she was sleeping and killed her.
The 39-year-old has pleaded guilty in the Victorian Supreme Court to Ms Manno's murder but he's argued he only caused two of the 23 stab wounds.
Sako, representing himself, claims the other injuries came from the bedroom window's broken glass.
During the first day of the plea hearing on Monday, Ms Manno's mother, father, brother and aunt read out victim impact statements to the court.
Aggie Di Mauro, Ms Manno's mother, confronted Sako and called him a coward and a beast for taking away her daughter.
"Celeste had no interest in him and he couldn't accept that," she told the court.
"We thought she was safe and sound asleep in her bed."
The remaining victim impact statements will be read to the court on Tuesday, before the prosecution makes its submissions on sentence.
Australian Associated Press
