Ellie’s desperate call to her mum
MURDERED former Tasmanian woman Ellie Price claimed her boyfriend had “tried to kill her” during a Valentine’s Day trip to Queensland just months before her death, a court has heard.
Ms Price’s mother, Tracey Gangell, gave evidence her daughter called her in tears on February 14 last year claiming Ricardo Barbaro, 34, tried to strangle her on the couple’s holiday to Cairns.
“She said that Rick tried to kill her and she thought she was going to die,” Ms Gangell told Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
“They had an argument, she was very upset, very distraught.”
Mr Barbaro is charged with the stabbing murder of Ms Price, whose body was found in her South Melbourne home on May 4 last year. Police believe, however, the mother of one was killed in the early hours of April 29.
Mr Barbaro denies the charge and claims someone else is responsible for the death of Ms Price, who grew up in Rokeby.
During her second day of evidence, Ms Gangell revealed she noticed bruises on her daughter’s body in one of Ms Price’s final trips to Tasmania to visit her family.
Ms Gangell said she had encouraged her daughter to end the relationship with Mr Barbaro.
“I just said it wouldn’t work between them; a leopard never changes its spots,” she said.
“She told me that she felt sorry for him … (and) he was going to see someone about his anger and that he was going to change.”
The court heard Ms Price had called her sister, Danielle, to report the alleged Cairns fight as well as an altercation in a car during which Ms Price claimed Mr Barbaro slammed her head into the dashboard.
Danielle said Mr Barbaro later called her and claimed he hadn’t hit her sister.
“Rick said she just started screaming and hit her own head against the car,” she told police.
Danielle on Tuesday said she did not believe her sister would hurt herself.
It comes as grisly details of the crime scene were aired in court.
Leading Senior Constable Heather Robertson said several of Ms Price’s pink acrylic nails were found scattered through her South Melbourne home, including in the bedroom where the 26year-old’s body was discovered.
Sen-Constable Robertson revealed a knife was found underneath Ms Price’s bed but no blood was found on it.
The court heard a spare bedroom was in the process of being set up for Ms Price’s five-year-old son, who was in Tasmania at the time.
The committal continues.