A caring mum with a heart of gold, Michelle Darragh stopped her partner from ending his life weeks before he took hers.
Ms Darragh was 12 weeks' pregnant with her third child when she was murdered by Benjamin Coman.
Victorian Supreme Court Justice Andrew Tinney jailed Coman for 25 years on Friday. He must serve at least 20 years before he's eligible for parole.
Ms Darragh and Coman had separated and her parents were caring for their two sons while she went to pick up clothing from Coman's home on October 9, 2021.
Her parents became worried when she didn't return, so her father, Ashley Darragh, went to the Bayswater North home where he discovered his daughter's lifeless body in one of the bedroom.
Mr Darragh said he knew he would never be the same after that experience.
"It has scarred my soul," he said.
Her parents and a dozen other family and friends packed the courtroom for the sentencing hearing.
Her mother, Dianne Darragh, burst into tears as the sentence was read out.
One man called out "suffer you dog" while another said "thank you" as the judge left court.
Coman had stabbed Ms Darragh, a social worker, three times while suppressing her screams.
One stab wound to the back went deep into her chest and neck and would quickly have incapacitated her and caused her death, Justice Tinney said.
She was entirely unsuspecting and innocent, and especially vulnerable because she was pregnant, he said.
"Her loss is a tragedy for her, her unborn child, her children, wider family and friends, and the community of which she as such an important part."
It was a violent and unforgivable crime, Justice Tinney said.
Coman, 31, had experienced a deterioration in his mental health in the lead-up to Ms Darragh's murder.
He was admitted to a mental health ward for psychiatric support a month earlier, after attempting to take his own life.
Ms Darragh had found him and intervened, saving his life.
Psychiatrist Andrew Carroll said Coman had developed psychotic depression, including paranoia, voices, hallucinations and delusions, following years of drug use.
He had delusional beliefs Ms Darragh was unfaithful and their children were not his.
But Justice Tinney said Coman was jealous and controlling for years, even before the psychosis.
The court heard the couple had separated twice previously because of issues including Coman's drug use, his admission to going to brothels, and reckless spending of joint savings - including $82,000 on a car weeks before Ms Darragh's murder.
Coman's whole perception of Ms Darragh was poisoned by his psychosis, according to Dr Carroll, who said Coman was experiencing despair and resentment.
He had simmering anger that boiled over into acute rage, he said.
Coman admitted to police he had argued with Ms Darragh but claimed he only stabbed her once and had not realised at the time.
But Justice Tinney said it was inconceivable that Coman could not have been aware what he had done to Ms Darragh.
Coman's father, a clinical psychologist, provided a lengthy reference for him during a pre-sentence hearing, the judge said.
He has already served nearly 18 months of his sentence.
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