On the night of November 16th, 2020, 23 year old Celeste Manno was stabbed to death in her bed.

The murderer was a man she'd met very briefly at work over a year before who'd been stalking her relentlessly ever since.

Luay Sako, 39, smashed through her bedroom window with a hammer and stabbed Celeste 23 times in two and a half minutes.

By the time her mother, Aggie, was woken by the commotion and made it down the hallway to her daughter's bedroom, it was too late.

Earlier this year, Sako was sentenced to 36 years in prison with a minimum of 30. It came as a great shock and disappointment to Celeste's family and their supporters who'd hoped for a life sentence.

There was further disappointment when the Office of Public Prosecutions announced they would not pursue the option to seek a life sentence on appeal.

Aggie Di Mauro and her son Alessandro Manno are our guests today on Australian True Crime. They're here to share their story with us, but also to tell us about their campaign to change the way our legal system deals not only with stalking but also with sentencing.

Links to support Celeste Manno's family:

Sign the petition for Mandatory Life Sentences for Murder

Event for Celeste's Ride for Justice Rally (May 26th at Parliament House, Melbourne)

Celeste's Ride for Justice Facebook group

Justice for Celeste website

Australian True Crime LIVE is coming to Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne this July! It'll be full of special guests and Q+A's, and we can't wait to see you in person. You can find tickets by clicking this link.

For Support: 

Lifeline  on 13 11 14

13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)

1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732

CREDITS:

Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram 

Guest: Aggie Di Mauro & Alessandro Manno

Executive Producer/Editor: Matthew Tankard

This episode contains extra content from 60 Minutes, 9 News and ABC News.

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