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A murderer who viciously stabbed his girlfriend to death and then fled interstate has been jailed for 28 years.
Ricardo Barbaro, 38, looked up and raised his eyebrows as he was sentenced in the Victorian Supreme Court this morning.
A jury in September 2023 found him guilty of killing his girlfriend Ellie Price, 26, at her South Melbourne home on April 29, 2020.
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He left the murder scene in her Mercedes Benz before dumping the vehicle at a Diggers Rest property, north-west of Melbourne.
Price's body was left undiscovered until May 4, when police attended her house to carry out a welfare check.
They found the mother-of-one with plunging stab wounds and a cut to her neck.
After media reported that her body had been found, Barbaro fled to NSW in a van.
He was arrested 10 days later and charged with Price's murder.
Justice Stephen Kaye today described the killing as a senseless and cruel crime against a vulnerable woman.
"She was alone, completely defenceless and quite clearly overpowered by you," he told Barbaro.
"Your murderous attack was cruel, vicious and entirely merciless."
He sentenced Barbaro to 28 years behind bars and he will be eligible for parole after serving 22 years.
Price's family and friends were at court for the sentence.
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