Man jailed for 16 years for stabbing wife to death in front of children

A man who stabbed his wife to death in a jealous rage in front of their three young children will spend at least 16 years in jail.

Rimoni Muliaga, 44, admitted he killed his wife, Lise, in Melbourne’s west but claimed he was not guilty of murder because of his diagnosed intellectual disability and depressive disorder.

A jury rejected those excuses and convicted him in December, following a month-long trial.

In sentencing Muliaga on Wednesday, Justice James Gorton described the killing as a serious case of murder driven by unjustified and unwarranted jealousy.

“Your crime was an act of the most serious domestic violence against an innocent and unarmed woman,” the judge said. “It warrants serious condemnation.”

Rimoni attacked Lise in their Melton South backyard on September 18, 2023, months after the couple and their five children relocated from New Zealand.

Muliaga had accused Lise of cheating on him with his brother, and he set upon the 37-year-old in a jealous rage, stabbing her four times to the chest.

Three of their five children – aged five, seven and 12 – either witnessed the stabbing or were in the vicinity at the time of the attack.

“[Lise] had a frightening and violent death,” Gorton said.

The couple’s five children each submitted victim impact statements to the court, and some of them described the chilling nightmares they had experienced since the murder.

Their teenage son said he would forgive his father but not forget what he had done.

Gorton acknowledged the children were coping better than expected, due in large part to the love and support they were receiving from their aunt and uncle.

“Nonetheless, your children will spend the rest of their lives without their mother and having to deal with the fact that you, their father, killed her,” the judge told Muliaga.

The presence of the children at the murder was an aggravating feature, Gorton said.

But the judge accepted there was a causal connection between the murder and Muliaga’s diagnosed intellectual disability and depression.

He noted those conditions had impacted the killer’s reasoning and ability to regulate his emotions, and he reacted violently while experiencing morbid jealousy.

Gorton said Muliaga’s moral culpability was therefore reduced, and the mental health conditions would make his time in custody more difficult.

His deportation on release would also weigh heavily on Muliaga during his sentence, the judge said.

Gorton said that despite those factors, he still had to denounce the serious case of domestic violence and deter Muliaga from committing another attack.

He jailed Muliaga for a maximum 24 years, but with time already served, the 44-year-old will be eligible for parole in 16 years.

Muliaga looked down after being handed the sentence.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

AAP

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