Ricardo Barbaro found guilty of stabbing murder of girlfriend Ellie Price - ABC News

Ellie Price was found dead in her South Melbourne apartment in 2020.(Supplied: Facebook)

Melbourne man Ricardo Barbaro has been found guilty of the murder of mother-of-one Ellie Price, who was stabbed to death in her South Melbourne apartment in 2020.

Police discovered the body of Ms Price, 26, on May 4, 2020. Her throat had been cut and she had been stabbed in the chest.

Investigators believed her body had been lying in the apartment for about five days.

After two days of deliberations and a month-long trial, a Supreme Court jury on Friday found Barbaro guilty of murdering of his then-girlfriend.

Barbaro, who was wearing a suit and tie, sat motionless in the court dock and took a sip of water after the jury foreperson read out the guilty verdict.

Ms Price's mother Tracey Gangell and sister Danielle were in the public gallery to see the result, with Ms Gangell bursting into tears as the case came to an end.

"Rot in hell, you scum," a family supporter yelled at Barbaro.

It was the third trial Barbaro faced, after the first was aborted because of juror misconduct and the second was called off to give lawyers more time to examine evidence.

Barbaro arrested in NSW after going on the run

Homicide detectives pinned the killing on Barbaro, after his blood was found at the scene and he was captured on security footage leaving the apartment in Ms Price's car early on April 29, 2020.

Barbaro was eventually arrested in New South Wales after more than a week on the run.

While Barbaro admitted being with Ms Price in the hours leading up to her death and leaving the apartment in her car, he denied murdering her and pleaded not guilty.

Ricardo Barbaro now faces the prospect of life in prison.(Supplied: Victoria Police)

Defence lawyer Rishi Nathwani dubbed the case a "whodunnit", and spent days cross-examining another witness, brothel owner Mark Gray.

Mr Gray, also known as Mark Gdanski, paid large sums of money to Ms Price and lavished her with gifts after striking up a friendship with the exotic dancer in 2017.

Mr Gray — who considered Ms Price his soulmate — was the last person to send her a text message before her death.

The brothel owner denied having anything to do with Ms Price's demise, and said he was asleep at home around the time police believed she was murdered.

Brothel owner Mark Gray covered himself with an umbrella while arriving at an earlier hearing.(AAP: Joel Carrett)

Killer faces prospect of life in prison

Barbaro has spent more than three years in custody since his arrest.

He now faces the prospect of being sentenced to life in prison for the murder, although the standard sentence for the crime in Victoria is 25 years.

He will face a pre-sentence hearing on October 26.

The Barbaro family has been synonymous with crime in Australia.

Three of Barbaro's relatives, all named Pasquale Barbaro, have been assassinated in underworld hits — his brother in 2016, a cousin in 2003 and grandfather in the 1990s.

An uncle named Pasquale was also jailed for a minimum of 30 years over a major drug importation plot.

Barbaro's father Giuseppe, who gave evidence at his trial, was jailed for drug offences two decades ago.

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2023-09-15 05:24:56Z
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