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MELBOURNE - A Melbourne "computer geek" who stabbed to death a co-worker after robbing her has been jailed for 19 years.
The body of Juan Zhang, also known as Joanne, was found in the boot of her car with 66 stab wounds five days after she disappeared from
the West Melbourne computer store where she worked as a manager on May 18, last year.
Her co-worker Yiwen Pan, 25, of Caulfield North - who pleaded guilty to her murder and robbery - was today sentenced in the Victorian Supreme Court to 19 years' jail with a minimum term of 14 years.
Ms Zhang was born in China and her family flew into Australia to attend today's sentencing hearing.
Pan also was born in China.
Justice Bernard Teague described the attack on Ms Zhang as ferocious and said the 35-year-old received more than 30 stab wounds to her head and neck and more than 20 to her hands and arms.
Pan - who had a gambling habit and was in debt - was partly motivated by money, the court heard.
Justice Teague described him as depressed and lonely and as "something of a computer geek".
He said Pan also was unhappy at work and upset about the break-up of a relationship with his girlfriend and that she was seeing another man.
"Joanne was somehow symbolic of what you perceived to be wrong in your life," Justice Teague said.
The court was told Pan waited for Ms Zhang outside their work, stabbed her repeatedly during a struggle and stole more than A$9000 ($10,265) she was carrying from that day's takings. He gambled some of the money at Crown Casino that night.
Pan placed the woman still alive in the boot of her car and drove away and then sat and listened as she screamed for help until she died.
"You sat passively until you were satisfied that she had died," Justice Teague said.
He said Ms Zhang's death had left her family with unanswerable questions as to how such an endearing, beloved and loving woman could suffer such a traumatic and untimely death.
He said he took into account that Pan had no prior convictions, had pleaded guilty and had shown remorse.
- AAP
