A West Australian prosecutor has called for a long non-parole period for a man who fatally stabbed his estranged wife in her pregnant daughter's Perth hairdressing salon.
James Bill Payet, 48, pleaded guilty in the Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court in February to five charges including murder, grievous bodily harm and unlawful wounding.
During sentencing submissions in the West Australian Supreme Court on Tuesday, Justice Lindy Jenkins was told Payet was unhinged when he attacked Angela Ferullo, 43, at Plush Hair salon in Como on June 24 last year.
The pair had married during their 12-year relationship and, although they separated in 2011 after Ms Ferullo had an affair, she allowed him to live in her house.
In the lead up to the attack, their relationship deteriorated further, with Payet twice threatening her with a knife, and sending abusive and threatening texts.
In one of the texts to step-daughter Selina Bello, Payet warned he was off his anti-depressant medication and "ready to decimate" anyone who crossed his path.
And when Ms Ferullo spent the weekend at a hotel with her new boyfriend, he burnt her wedding dress and pretended he'd thrown out her mother's ashes.
He was also threatening after he wasn't invited to a family christening, telling another step-daughter that there would be "consequences".
Fearing for her safety the day before the attack, Ms Ferullo got police to remove him from the house.
They also ordered him not to contact her for 72 hours, after which she planned to obtain a violence restraining order.
But he snuck into the house and hid overnight in the roof space with provisions, two large hunting knives, duct tape and the ashes.
When he eventually emerged the next day wielding one of the knives, he confronted one of her male work colleagues who was lodging at the house, detaining him for more than an hour while making threats and later slashing his arm after he fled via the backyard fence.
Payet then went to the salon, where he stabbed Ms Bello, 23, who was 22 weeks pregnant.
Ms Ferullo was frantically calling police as her daughter was being attacked, then threw herself across Ms Bello's bleeding body in a bid to protect her.
As Payet then dragged his estranged wife to the window and told her "you're going to die", a 67-year-old female customer tried to intervene - repeatedly trying to push him away with a chair. She was also injured.
After Payet fled the scene, Ms Ferullo was taken to hospital, but died from her injuries.
Ms Bello recovered and her baby was unharmed.
Payet's defence lawyer, Laurie Levy, said his client had suffered an abusive upbringing and was unhinged without anti-depressant medication and stop smoking aid Champix in the lead up to the attack. He had also been taking steroids.
But prosecutor Linda Petrusa said Payet's life sentence should include a tough non-parole period, saying the attack was persistent and particularly cruel because it was witnessed by the victim's daughter and others were hurt.
Sentencing is scheduled for Friday.
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