Wife killer Borce Ristevski watched on in silence as relatives told him he was “selfish”, “despicable”, “vicious”, “heinous”, “cruel” and “a monster”.
Victim impact statements were read out by family members of Karen Ristevski on the first day of a pre-sentence hearing in Victoria’s Supreme Court today.
Karen’s aunt Patricia Gray broke down in the witness box metres from Ristevski.
She told the 55-year-old she did not attend Karen’s funeral because she couldn’t bear to watch Ristevski carry the coffin or hear “lies spew from his mouth”.
“To watch ... as he was comforted by family and friends, to hear lies spew from his mouth — it would’ve made me sick,” she said.
Ms Gray told Ristevski she would never forgive him for what he did. For lying throughout the search for Karen’s body and for feigning compassion to the couple’s only daughter Sarah as she struggled and searched for answers.
“I can never forgive Borce for the lies and deceit and manipulation,” she told the court through tears.
“He manipulated his family. I believe he bullied and manipulated (Sarah).”
She said “one selfish, cowardly act took her from me” before reading a poem to the deceased.
“I wish that you had told me how things were for you. I would’ve been there, whatever you needed me to do.
“Goodbye my precious niece, my darling girl.”
Sarah Ristevski, 23, was asked whether she wanted to submit a victim impact statement but she declined.
Karen’s cousin Nevada Knight told the court she had lost 15kg “by going days and weeks without being able to move” after the 47-year-old went missing.
“I would vomit every time I moved,” she said.
Ms Knight spoke of sitting behind Ristevski at her cousin’s funeral and being hugged by the man who killed her.
“I hugged him standing over her body at her gravesite where he whispered, ‘thank you for coming, your support means a lot’.”
She told him he was not remorseful and had only admitted to killing his wife “when it suited your case”.
“You’ve had almost three years to come forward. That’s not remorse. That’s selfishness.
“Her body was discarded in the most inhumane way. It takes only a second to dial triple-0.”
Stephen Williams, Karen’s brother, said Ristevski never once asked him if he was OK. Instead, he made the entire family’s ordeal about him.
“Listening to (Borce) talk about himself — he never mentioned Karen, he never asked how I was feeling. He spoke only about how police were targeting him, how media were portraying him.
“I could see through (the lies) but I didn’t say anything.”
Ristevski sat motionless in the dock wearing a black suit and white shirt as the victim impact statements were read out. He spoke briefly when asked to confirm his name and date of birth.
Supreme Court Judge Christopher Beale earlier revealed Ristevski will be sentenced for manslaughter on April 18.
Karen Ristevski went missing on June 29, 2016. Ristevski admitted to killing her earlier this month after denying any involvement for almost three years.
On the morning she disappeared, Ristevski bundled her body into the back of her Mercedes Benz and drove north to Macedon Regional Park where he dumped her between two logs and covered with sticks and logs.
She was found by two horticulturalists eight months later. The cause of her death has never been determined.
rohan.smith1@news.com.au | @ro_smith
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