Convicted heroin trafficker murdered his glamorous daughter, 20, in a blind rage after he confronted her about her recreational drug use
A convicted heroin trafficker stabbed his glamorous daughter eight times and killed her in a fit of rage, a court heard today.
Property developer Petrit Lekaj murdered his 20-year-old daughter Sabrina in Adelaide in July.
She was found dead in her Mercedes-Benz sedan near the family’s suburban home in Kidman Park.
Lejak pleaded guilty to murder at the South Australian Supreme Court in August and will be sentenced next week.
Property developer Petrit Lekaj (left) murdered his 20-year-old daughter Sabrina (right) in Adelaide in July
The 20-year-old was found dead in her Mercedes-Benz sedan near the family’s suburban Kidman Park property in Adelaide on July 21. Pictured: Sabrina Lekaj’s funeral
At a hearing today, his lawyer said he flew in a fit of rage Miss Lekaj and could not explain his actions.
Lekaj, a well-known member of Adelaide’s Albanian community, took a 15-centimetre knife with him when he drove his daughter to get food, the court heard.
He confronted her about her party lifestyle and, during the heated argument, stabbed her with the knife.
After the murder, Lekaj was found next to his daughter with a serious stomach wound and was treated at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
Ms Lekaj (pictured) was remembered as a good friend and top student
In December, an ‘antecedents report’ detailing Lekaj’s criminal history was tendered by prosecutors and released to The Advertiser by Justice Trish Kelly.
According to the publication, Lekaj’s drug-related offending goes back to August 1996, when he was jailed for his involvement in the sale of a controlled substance.
The previous year he was unanimously found guilty of selling heroin, district court records show.
The 49-year-old spent at least two years in jail, after his minimum non-parole period of two-and-a-half years was cut by six months.
In 2007, Lekaj was convicted and fined $200 for possessing cannabis. He was also hit with a $100 fine for failing to store ammunition in a locked container, according to the antecedents report.
Two years later, the father was fined $900 in September 2009 after he was found to have cultivated more than a prescribed number of cannabis plants, as well as possessing drugs equipment.
Defence counsel Ben Sale asked the court on Monday for the necessary time to secure the psychiatric report ahead of sentencing submissions.
He said there had been some delays because of his client’s health.
Ms Lekaj was remembered as a good friend and top student who had graduated high school with a score of 99.35.
‘I can’t believe I’m writing this. My beautiful Sabrina. Incredibly talented pianist, high achiever and queen of dark humour. I love you. Forever in our hearts,’ one friend wrote after her death.
Ms Lekaj attended Nazareth Catholic College in Adelaide, graduating in 2016 with a leading score in biology and religious studies.
She was accepted into the University of South Australia where she studied both classical piano performance and medical imaging.
Lekaj, a well-known member of the city’s Albanian community, was found next to his daughter (pictured) with a serious abdominal injury and was treated in the Royal Adelaide Hospital
Pictured: Ms Lekaj (centre) on her 18th birthday with her father (left) and mother Romina (right)