James William Pualic, 45, was sentenced in the Victorian Supreme Court on Friday after pleading guilty to the murder of mother-of-four Analyn 'Logee' Osias.
He killed his former partner after breaking into her Bendigo home, in Victoria's north, on October 29 2023, in breach of a family violence intervention order that was supposed to protect her.
Pualic smashed a bedroom window and then forced his way inside the property by ripping open a security door.
He dragged Ms Osias from her bed, bashed her head against the floor and strangled her before stabbing her to death.Â
Ms Osias' two primary school-age children were at home at the time, with one of the girls witnessing the murderous attack.
Justice Rita Incerti described the killing as brutal and unprovoked as she handed down the sentence.
"Your offending was cruel, vicious and entirely merciless," the judge said.
"Ms Osias was entitled to end her relationship without fear of harm."
Pualic, who looked down as he was sentenced, will be eligible for parole after serving 19 years.
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