Arabic version: المحكمة تسمع أن هجوماً بالكيتامين أودى بحياة أم من بايزووتر

According to ABC News, Victoria’s Supreme Court has heard that Milorad “Mick” Zaric fatally stabbed his next-door neighbour, Vicky Apostolopoulos, at her front door in Bayswater, Melbourne’s outer east, on November 16, 2024. Zaric has pleaded guilty to murder and assault and is yet to be sentenced.

The court heard Ms Apostolopoulos had baked cupcakes for Zaric two days before the killing, and he later texted her to say they were “amazing”. Prosecutor Erin Ramsay said Zaric, a regular cannabis user, had taken ketamine for the first time in the days before the attack, believing it could help his low mood.

Ms Ramsay said Zaric’s son and girlfriend became concerned by his behaviour. The court heard he pushed his son down stairs, killed a pet turtle, smashed a television and later tried to attack the boy with a knife. His son fled to Ms Apostolopoulos’s home, where she opened the door to Zaric. The victim’s son then fought him off and put him in a headlock, allowing his younger brother to escape.

More than 50 of Ms Apostolopoulos’s loved ones attended court as victim impact statements were read. Her sister, Mary Kadis, described her as “one in a million” and said she was devoted to family and willing to help anyone in need. Her mother, Sofia Apostolopoulos, said her daughter deserved to watch her children grow up. Zaric’s barrister, Ruth Shann SC, said he had chosen to plead guilty despite a potential mental-impairment defence. Sentencing will occur at a later date.