The man accused of murdering his girlfriend is alleged to have killed her up to 48 hours before her family found him barricaded inside their home alongside her lifeless body.
Nikkita Azzopardi, 35, was found stabbed to death at the South Morang home in Melbourne’s north-east on Monday after relatives were unable to contact her.
Joel Micallef, 33, is accused of murdering Ms Azzopardi between Saturday and Monday before her father and brothers broke down the door of their home to get in.
They were allegedly confronted by the gruesome sight of Micallef with her bloodied body.
Micallef was scheduled to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court for a brief filing hearing on Wednesday but was unable to attend because he is in hospital suffering from ‘health complications’.
A lone bouquet of flowers lay outside the couple’s Reid Street home where Micallef is accused of murdering his partner.
Neighbours told Daily Mail Australia they had no idea Micallef had even lived inside the property.
‘We never saw him,’ one neighbour said. ‘We had no idea he even lived there.’
Neighbours described Ms Azzopardi as a kind neighbour who always stopped to say hello.
Joel Micallef (right) has been charged with murder following the discovery of the body of his girlfriend of two years (left)
Situated on a block of units, residents within the complex claimed they were oblivious to any domestic issues within the household.
‘Apparently the house was under his name, but I never saw him,’ a neighbour said.
‘Which I find strange because he must have just been hibernating in there. I don’t know, but I would see her. I waved to her about a week ago.’
Neighbours said they did not hear a sound from inside the home between Saturday and the discovery of her body on Monday.
‘I didn’t hear anything. Nothing,’ said one neighbour. ‘She never mentioned anything to anyone.’
It is understood Ms Azzopardi’s loved ones were confronted by an devastating scene upon making their way past a barricade into the home.
‘Apparently it was pretty bad,’ a neighbour said. ‘Her brother walked in and it was pretty messy … it’s pretty shocking. I was not expecting it at all.
‘The body was in there for [up to] two days.’
A brief of evidence compiled by police against Micallef will be handed to the court by January 22, with the alleged killer expected to appear in court in March.
Micallef is charged with murdering Ms Azzopardi sometime between the Saturday and the Monday when her body was found.
No information about how detectives put their case against Micallef was aired in court. The court heard Micallef’s expected stint in jail will be his first experience behind bars.
His alleged victim was found by her two brothers and father after they drove to their home when she had failed to show up at a family barbecue the night before.
A lone bouquet of flowers was placed outside Ms Azzopardi’s South Morang home on Wednesday
Ms Azzopardi’s family came looking for her after she didn’t show for a family barbecue and didn’t answer calls
It is alleged that they confronted Micallef there after he had barricaded a door.
Ms Azzopardi’s older brother Shaun broke through the door and found her body.
Micallef, Ms Azzopardi’s boyfriend of two years, was arrested at the scene and taken to hospital where he underwent medical assessments.
Police interviewed Micallef throughout Monday and on Tuesday afternoon charged him with one count of murder.
Ms Azzopardi was described by Shaun as a gentle soul who would help anyone.
‘She’ll do anything for anyone … she didn’t see the bad in people and always saw the good,’ Mr Azzopardi said.
Cops slapped Micallef with the charge following his arrest on Monday
Police are understood to be investigating the nature of Micallef and Ms Azzopardi’s relationship and living arrangements.
On Monday, detectives were seen carrying items, including a safe, from the Reid Street townhouse, while specialists worked to determine how and when the 35-year-old was killed.
Shaun Azzopardi arrived with family members in the afternoon to collect Ms Azzopardi’s car and belongings.
On Monday, he told reporters he’d tried to contact his sister by phone.
Mr Azzopardi drove his father and brother to the house to look for their sister, but said they found the doors allegedly blocked by chairs.
He described his sister as a ‘kind soul’.
‘You think it’s not going to happen to you, to your sister, your brother, but I’m not going see my sister again.’
The last time he saw his sister alive was 10 days earlier at his son’s 15th birthday, which she arranged at a go-karting venue.
Investigators were seen carrying a safe from the house as detectives continued their work on Tuesday
Detectives worked at the property for two days to investigate Ms Azzopardi’s death
Shaun Azzopardi said the death of his sister ‘doesn’t feel real’ as he tries to stay strong for his distraught family
‘In hindsight, if you knew it was the last time, you’d be doing more, you’d be asking more, you’d be taking pictures,’ he said.
‘I don’t know my father’s state, my mum’s state, my brother’s state – how do you move past this, how do you get through it?’
Mr Azzopardi said ‘it doesn’t feel real. I’m trying to stay strong’.
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