Facing the man who raped, bashed and left his pregnant wife to die face down in a Queensland yard, Cory Ryther said: "I have learnt how to hate. Thanks for teaching me that".
The 43-year-old described himself as "consumed by rage" in the Brisbane Supreme Court on Monday as his wife Joan's killer, Andrew Michael Burke, stood in the dock.
It came after a jury convicted the 21-year-old of her rape and murder, as well as killing the couple's unborn child, in a vicious assault as the McDonald's employee walked the short distance to her Logan Central workplace in May 2013.
"We just wanted to live," her bereaved husband told the court.
"Life for me now is empty and hollow. I feel like there's nothing left really to live for."
His 27-year-old wife was attacked 19 months to the day since they were married on an island in the Philippines.
In his opening address, crown prosecutor Glen Cash said the expectant mother had been set upon as she walked to her 9pm shift and dragged bleeding into the front yard of a nearby house.
She was then raped with an object, thought to be a screwdriver, leaving her with "massive" injuries before likely being kicked in the head and strangled.
Her partially clothed body was discovered by a horrified neighbour the following morning, who initially mistook the figure for a mannequin.
During the trial, jurors heard Burke had been in the area that night trying to steal a car with others but disappeared for a period of time.
DNA consistent with his was later detected on the back of Ms Ryther's green jumper, while her DNA was found on a hand bandage and his shoe.
Defence barrister Frank Martin had implored jurors to not be "bamboozled" by the DNA evidence on the first day of the trial.
But they convicted Burke on all three counts despite indicating on Monday afternoon they were having trouble reaching a unanimous verdict.
Justice Debra Mullins sentenced him to life imprisonment for murder, opting not to grant a prosecution request to increase the mandatory 20-year non-parole period, and terms of 14 and five years for the other counts.
Outside court, leading investigator Graham Pannowitz welcomed the verdict and sentence, admitting senior police had been affected by the "confronting" crime scene.
He said it was unfortunate Cory had heard graphic details of the attack, which Justice Mullins described as "heinous".
"As the time has gone on, he's struggled more with what's occurred," he said.
His wife was eight weeks pregnant when she died.
