The parents of a Latrobe Valley man whose body was found in bushland have told the Supreme Court their son's death robbed them of the "most precious thing" they had in their lives.
Jarrad Lovison, 37, disappeared on April 16, 2020 and his body was discovered in bushland in the Moondarra State Park, north of Moe, five weeks later.
Samantha Guillerme, 26, has pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court to Mr Lovison's manslaughter.
The court heard Ms Guillerme conspired to lure Mr Lovison to a remote location outside Moe where two co-accused forced or tricked him into taking a fatal dose of the drug GHB.
The two co-accused, Andrew Price, 49, and Jake Brown, 31, have each pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder.
They are due to face trial in May next year.
The court heard a feud had developed between Mr Lovison and Mr Price, who was involved in a relationship with Mr Lovison's ex-girlfriend, Angela O'Brien.
Crown prosecutor Mark Rochford said Guillerme lured Mr Lovison to the location where he died in the belief that he would "get the shit kicked out of him", rather than being killed.
As part of a deal with prosecutors, Guillerme has agreed to give evidence against Mr Brown and Mr Price.
Family 'destroyed' by death
Mr Lovison's father, John Lovison, told the court of his family's heartache since his son's death.
At times he addressed Guillerme directly about the hurt she had caused.
"You have totally ripped our lives and our hearts apart and they will never be whole again," John said.
"You had no right to do that.
"You have devastated us.
"You have destroyed our lives in so many ways and you could not even begin to comprehend our lives as they are now."
He said she had taken away "from us the most beautiful, precious thing that we had in this whole world" and he struggled to sleep and had been socially isolated since his son's death.
John said his son had a beautiful and infectious smile and would do anything for his friends.
Depressed, abusing drugs
Guillerme's lawyer, John Desmond, told the court his client apologised to Mr Lovison's family for his death.
Mr Desmond said giving evidence against her co-accused was "no small thing".
"She currently exposes herself and will continue to expose herself to repercussions and the risk of serious injury to both life and limb and that risk to her shall remain for the rest of her life," he said.
Mr Desmond said Guillerme had spared Mr Lovison's family and the justice system the need for a trial and should be given a discounted sentence.
The court heard a psychologist found Guillerme was affected by depression and likely suffered from a "major depressive disorder at the time of the offending".
She was a daily user of methamphetamine and cannabis.
Mr Desmond said the psychologist found her drug use and depression meant "her level of drug intoxication coupled with depressed mood would no doubt have adversely affected her ability to exercise good judgment and decision making".
Guillerme will return to court in February for sentencing.
