More than six years after Luke Mitchell was punched, kicked and stabbed to death outside a Melbourne convenience store in 2009 his killers have been sentenced to at least 18 years in jail.
Sarud Seehaverachart, 33 and Thatiya Terdputham, 40, who were found guilty after a lengthy trial will now join their former friend Teparat Tepsut behind bars.
The pair, and Tepsut who is already serving a 15 year jail sentence, fled to Thailand soon after they killed Mr Mitchell, 29, in Brunswick on May 24, 2009 but were found and extradited for trial.
In handing down his sentence on Thursday, Supreme Court Justice Beale said Mr Mitchell was set upon by the three men after he bravely intervened when he noticed them attacking another man.
The trio then went looking for Mr Mitchell, armed with knives and a meat cleaver, and cornered him in a 7-Eleven car park in Brunswick where they repeatedly stabbed him.
"You took revenge on Mr Mitchell and then you fled the scene of the crime and the country on the same day"
Justice Beale said the pair he was sentencing on Thursday used "deadly weapons" in a "very public place in front of many witnesses".
"You took revenge on Mr Mitchell and then you fled the scene of the crime and the country on the same day," Justice Beale said.
Outside court, brother Shane said the family could now move on because all three were behind bars but the sentence was "pretty underwhelming".
"The pain doesn't change ... but we can handle it better now," he told reporters.
Mum Carol broke down outside court when asked how her son should be remembered.
"We're very proud of him," she said.
"That's why Luke's where he is, who he was, and what he did."
Seehaverachant and Terdputham were sentenced to 24 years in jail, with a minimum of 18.
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