Karen Ristevski with her husband and killer Borce. Photo / Supplied
Karen Ristevski with her husband and killer Borce. Photo / Supplied
How much is a secret worth?
To Borce Ristevski, his refusal to tell why or how he killed his Kiwi wife Karen just cost him another four years behind bars.
Ristevki, 55, was resentenced today in the Victorian Court of Appeal for the manslaughter of his wife on 27 yearsin their Avondale Heights home in 2016.
His original sentence of nine years with a minimum of six was set aside and a new sentence of 13 years with a minimum of 10 years was inserted in its place after prosecutors appealed.
In court today, the three judges savaged Ristevski for his lies and his silence.
Outside court, Karen's brother Stephen went a step further, telling reporters capital punishment — the death penalty — should be reinstated in Victoria.
Borce Ristevski with his wife Karen. Photo / Facebook
Daughter Sarah Ristevski sat in the back row of the court clutching a scarf and left quickly after the decision was handed down. She has always supported her father but has rarely attended court. She did not attend the Court of Appeal hearing in November.
Chief Justice Ferguson said Ristevski showed a "total lack of remorse" for the killing.
"His conduct after he killed his wife significantly aggravated his offending," she said.
"Ms Ristevski should have been safe in her own home.
"Mr Ristevski did not simply maintain his silence but took immediate positive steps to avoid his crime being discovered."
Karen with daughter Sarah Ristevski, who stood by her dad. Photo / via NewsCorp
Ristevski, 55, killed his wife Karen in June 2016 at the couple's Avondale Heights home.
He then drove her body north of Melbourne to bushland at Mount Macedon where he dumped the body between two logs.
Karen would not be discovered for eight long months as her husband lied to detectives and his own daughter about his involvement.
Ristevski confessed to the killing on the eve of a Supreme Court trial this year but has refused to say why or how he killed his wife.
Ristevski's lawyer David Hallowes last month told the court his client was a good man.
"He was a man of good character," he told the court.
"He was 55, had no prior convictions. Your honours have read the character reference of (his daughter) Sarah Ristevski. He contributed to society. He worked hard."
Karen, Borce and Sarah Ristevski pictured less than a year before Karen's murder. Photo / Facebook
But prosecutors say his silence should cost him.
Prosecutor Brendan Kissane told the court last month Ristevski's silence was an indication of the seriousness of the killing.
"What silence means … when one puts all of that together … what one can say about what occurred in the house is that it must've been something significant," he told the court.
"What one concludes is that something bad must have happened in the house."
