Samah Baker: Sydney Man who murdered his on-off girlfriend in fit of jealous rage learns his fate
Jealous man who brutally murdered his on-again, off-again girlfriend after seeing her kiss another man — then texted her as if she were alive to fool police — discovers his fate
- James Hachem has been sentenced to 24 years in prison
- He was found guilty of the murder of Samah Baker
- Judge Described Her Death As ‘Great Human Tragedy’
A vile man who murdered his on-again-on-off-again TAFE work girlfriend has been sentenced to 24 years in prison.
James Hachem, 37, killed Samah Baker, 30, in a fit of jealous rage in January 2019 after she refused to spend New Year’s Eve with him.
“Her murder has caused a great loss, the magnitude and impact of which cannot be expressed in words,” Justice Robertson Wright said in NSW’s Supreme Court on Friday.
‘Mrs Baker’s death was a great human tragedy, she was a captivating person who made those around her feel whole.
“The qualities of a particular victim can serve as a powerful reminder of the quality of human life itself, and all that goes into taking it away.”
Samah Baker (pictured) was reported missing in 2019 and her body has still not been found
James Hachem, 37, has been sentenced to 24 years in prison after being found guilty of murdering his occasional lover Samah Baker
Hachem sat silent in court more than four years after he killed Mrs Baker near her apartment in Parramatta.
Ms Baker had a tumultuous and at times violent relationship with Hachem since they first met at work in 2015.
She ended the relationship with Hachem several times and finally found a new partner in December 2018.
The court was told that Hachem was waiting outside her apartment in his car and spying on Mrs Baker while she was on a date, and became furious when he witnessed the couple kissing in the early hours of January 4.
The court was told that the 37-year-old from Hurstville Grove murdered Ms Baker at approximately 7am on 4 January 2019 in her apartment in Parramatta, western Sydney.
Hachem gained access to her flat after calling her from a nearby building claiming that his parents had been in a car accident.
He then went to Bunnings and bought several items, including a double sheet, gloves, cleaning products and a digging trowel, before driving to remote areas of rural NSW.
Mrs. Baker’s body was never found.
Police searched the rural areas Hachem had visited (pictured) in the days after he killed his ex. The murder of Ms Baker by a judge was a ‘great human tragedy’ at sentencing on Friday
Despite maintaining his innocence and offering a theory that Mrs. Baker committed suicide, the jury ultimately believed Hachem was overcome with jealousy after seeing Mrs. Baker kiss another man.
He told a litany of lies to police and also sent text messages to his late partner’s phone in an attempt to fool detectives, including one that read, “You need to be with your boyfriend and you can’t text” and. Everthing okay…’.
Another read: “Last night was so good, slept like a log.”
At sentencing on Friday, Hachem received a 24-year prison sentence and an 18-year non-parole period, retroactive to his 2019 arrest.
“The offense includes deadly violence against a female partner arising out of his jealousy and anger at her association with another man,” Judge Wright said.
Despite hearing evidence of childhood trauma and abuse from Hachem at sentencing hearings, Judge Wright said they were “not significant enough to warrant a conclusion that his moral guilt has been lessened.”
He is eligible for parole in March 2037.
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