- Ricardo Barbaro serves 28 years in prison
- He stabbed and slit the throat of his girlfriend
A murderous boyfriend has been criticized for showing no remorse for his “cruel and senseless crime” when he met his fate for the brutal murder of his stripper girlfriend.
Ricardo Barbaro, 38, was back before the Supreme Court of Victoria on Friday morning when he was jailed for 28 years for the murder of his girlfriend Ellie Price in April 2020.
Dressed all in black, he greeted his brother Harley Barbaro with a smile and a wave from the dock; Court security prevented the two from touching each other.
Ellie Price, 26, lay dead in the blood-soaked bedroom of her south Melbourne apartment for five days until she was discovered by police.
Ricardo Barbaro’s DNA was found under Ellie Price’s fingernails
Price, 26, lay dead in the blood-soaked bedroom of her south Melbourne apartment for five days until she was discovered by police in a welfare check initiated by her worried mother, Tracey Gangell.
He had suffered six stab wounds, three of which could have been fatal, including a cut to his throat.
Barbaro was captured on CCTV leaving Ms Price’s flat in her Mercedes in the early hours of April 29, never to return.
He was arrested in New South Wales after fleeing Victoria and given a lift by his father Giuseppe ‘Joe’ Barbaro after dumping the vehicle at a Diggers Rest property.
Three scratches on Barbaro’s arms, Judge Kaye said, were consistent with scratches on Ms Price as she “attempted to defend herself against his violent attack”.
Barbaro was convicted in his third jury trial in September of last year after the first was aborted due to juror misconduct and the second was dismissed so his defense could review new evidence.
A member of a prominent mafia family, the court was told Barbaro suffered from complex post-traumatic stress disorder after a chaotic upbringing and the murder of members of his family.
Judge Kaye told the court that Barbaro and Price had started dating in October 2019, and that their brief relationship was “volatile” and marred by violence.
The previous incidents of violence, the judge said, provided evidence that the “serious acts of violence” on June 29 did not occur out of nowhere.
Mrs Price was a young mother from Tasmania.
Ellie Price’s mother Tracey Gangell fought back tears as she faced the media after Barbaro was sentenced for her daughter’s murder.
As details of the violent attack were read in court, Barbaro showed little emotion and at times closed his eyes, scratched his beard and shifted in his seat.
At trial, Barbaro’s lawyer, Rishi Nathwani SC, called the case a “whodunit” and tried to frame the brothel owner, Mark Gray, as an alternative suspect who was not investigated by police.
Prosecutors, on the other hand, argued that Gray was a star-crossed romantic who denied being Price’s sugar daddy.
Barbaro will be eligible for parole after serving 22 years.
Price’s family and friends were in court for the sentencing and his mother, Tracey Gangell, held back tears as she faced the media after Barbaro was sentenced.
