Tears ran down the cheeks of strangers who sat together in silence to remember a woman allegedly killed by her schizophrenic boyfriend in Melbourne's Chinatown.
About 100 people gathered on the steps of the Victorian Parliament House on Friday night for a vigil to honour Natalina Angok, 32, who was found dead two days earlier.
Her accused killer Christopher Allen Bell has faced court charged with her murder.
"They were dating, in a relationship. That was her boyfriend," Ms Angok's sister Helena told The Age newspaper, adding they had been together more than a year.
Vigil co-organiser Karen Pickering told AAP the hour of silence was "haunting" with not a word spoken, as per protocol with all the vigils she held to honour deceased women.
"It is quite haunting to have so many people in public observing silence together," Ms Pickering said after the vigil.
"She came to Australia from Sudan via a refugee camp in Kenya to a place she probably thought was safer. There is something that makes that just so much more tragic.
"As a society, we have badly let her down."
Ms Angok's family is in shock after her killing.
"We are heartbroken," the family said in a statement issued by police.
"Our family is finding the strength to come to terms with this tragedy and the loss of Natalina Angok."
Her sister Helena said she "didn't deserve to die in such a way, being killed by someone".
"She was a loving and caring sister and a down-to-earth person, not a troublemaker. She loved everybody, even if someone did something bad to her, she would just talk and laugh with them."
Ms Angok's body was found near Little Bourke Street just after 6.30am on Wednesday
Bell was arrested later the same day.
A court was told on Thursday he was released from a mental inpatient facility a week before and required treatment for schizophrenia.
Police are yet to reveal how Ms Angok died.
Cousin Ash Atar described her as an "entertaining, loving girl".
"She made us laugh at all times. I'm shocked and in disbelief," Ms Atar told the Herald Sun.
"We are deeply saddened and heartbroken. No one deserves to die this way."
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