Murdered mother Ellie Price (pictured)
A man who lavished cars and cash on murdered Melbourne woman Ellie Price denied he was her sugar daddy or pimp.
Accountant Mark Gray appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday where it was revealed he continued to finance the 26-year old’s lavish lifestyle up until she threatened to make a false rape allegation against him just weeks before she was killed.
Ms Price was found with fatal stab wounds in her South Melbourne home on May 4 last year, but it’s believed she died as early as five days beforehand.
Her boyfriend Ricardo Barbaro, 34, is charged with her murder and is facing a three-day preliminary hearing.
The court heard Mr Gray, whom the court heard has business links to brothels, had befriended Ms Price in 2017 after meeting her in a Melbourne stripclub.
He told the court he had treated the woman – who was 30 years his junior – like a father or older brother.
Within a year of meeting her, Mr Gray paid for her rental accomodation and bought her an expensive Mercedes, which she later ‘ruined’ with a pink wrap, the court heard.
Ellie Price had demanded $100,000 off accountant Mark Gray or she would falsely report him of rape. She was killed just weeks later
Tracey Gangell was called to give evidence on Monday but the day had to be cut short when Ms Gangell became overwhelmed with emotion after confirming her daughter was threatening to tell police a friend raped her unless he gave her money
The accountant described Ms Price as suffering from a mental illness and would turn into a ‘total monster’ at times.
‘Ellie was unfortunately quite sick,’ he said.
Mr Gray claimed he bought the car for Ms Price under a verbal agreement she would pay him back.
‘I trusted her … her word was her honour,’ Mr Gray said.
Mr Gray told the court he had helped pay rent for Ms Price at numerous apartments, including a St Kilda penthouse.
On Wednesday, Barbaro’s barrister Mark Gumbleton grilled Mr Gray over his relationship with Ms Price, asking her if he was in a sexual relationship with her, her pimp or ‘sugar daddy’.
Mr Gray refuted all of the suggestions and maintained he had simply cared for the victim as a friend.
The court heard Mr Gray cut Ms Price off from her gravy train for seven months after her demands for gifts got out of control in 2019, but reconciled with her just months before her murder.
Within weeks of making up with his young friend, Mr Gray paid for $24,000 in rent for the South Melbourne apartment she would be found dead in.
‘It was a life and death situation,’ Mr Gray said. ‘I felt something needed to be done.’
Ricardo Barbaro (pictured), 34, is charged with murder and is facing a three-day hearing in Melbourne Magistrates Court
Ellie Price was farewelled back in Tasmania where she originated from
Ellie Price was a mother of one. She was stabbed to death just weeks after threatening a good friend
The court heard Mr Gray was told of Ms Price’s relationship with Barbaro on the last occasion he ever saw her – about two weeks before she was killed.
On that day, he noticed she had a ‘love bite’ on her neck and the pair had an argument over his alleged mistreatment of her.
The pair later argued on the phone before she demanded another $100,000 to buy a beauty salon.
‘Otherwise, the piece de resistance, she’d go to the cops and tell them you’d raped her,’ Mr Gumbelton said.
‘Mark I could really f**k you up and tell the police that you raped me,’ Ms Price told her friend on the phone.
Mr Gray hung up, blocked her number and didn’t talk to her again.
Instead, he contacted her mother Tracey Gangell, who told Mr Gray her daughter had been on drugs.
Mr Gray told Ms Gangell he no longer trusted Ms Price and made reference to the money he had blown on her, including a $1000 a week allowance and a $2000 kitten.
On Tuesday, Ms Price’s mum broke down when describing the fear she saw in her daughter’s eyes while asking her about the extortion plot.
Ms Gangell confirmed her daughter was threatening to tell police Mr Gray raped her unless he gave her money.
Ellie Price’s boyfriend Ricardo Barbaro, 34, is charged with her murder and is facing a three-day preliminary hearing.
Ellie Price had businessman Mark Gray wrapped around her finger.
Ellie Price had met Mr Gray while working as a stripper in Melbourne
‘I did try and speak to her about it once and I will never forget the look on her face when I asked her about it,’ she said.
Mr Gray confirmed he paid Ms Price $25,000 – the first of the extortion payments – and was prepared to pay the rest to stop her going to police.
On April 26, he confirmed the money had been sent and sought confirmation that he could finally cut her loose and meet other women – even though he was not in a relationship with her.
‘In all fairness to me I’d just like to know where I stand in view of what has happened … I don’t want another fight Ellie,’ he wrote.
‘I just want to know if I can treat the last three payments as bills … I just don’t want to go out and meet someone and then have another fight.’
Mr Gray told the court he could no longer spend another cent on her and wanted her to ‘let him go’.
The hearing continues.