The grieving mother of murdered woman Celeste Manno has revealed how the justice system failed her daughter, who was stalked and murdered by an obsessed colleague.
Aggie Di Mauro told 60 Minutes that her 23-year-old daughter did everything she could to stop Luay Nader Sako from molesting her, but it wasn’t enough.
In November 2020, the 35-year-old broke into Celeste’s house in the middle of the night and killed her while she slept.
Last week, Judge Jane Dixon sentenced Sako to 36 years in prison for the “horrible crime.”
Celeste Manno’s mother, Aggie Di Mauro (both pictured), claims the justice system failed her daughter after her killer avoided life in prison last month
But Ms Di Mauro said it was not enough.
‘TThe victim doesn’t exist, it’s all shocking and it’s just wrong,” Ms Di Mauro told 60 Minutes.
“There’s nothing about the victim.”
She claims the criminal justice system failed her daughter for a second time by showing her murderous mercy.
Judge Dixon had refused to sentence Sako to life imprisonment on February 29 after finding he had serious mental disorders that had impaired his judgement.
Ms Di Mauro said Sako deserved to spend life in prison for brutally cutting her daughter’s life so short.
Sako had worked with his victim in a detention center and developed romantic feelings for her.
He sent Celeste numerous messages on social media, which she politely declined. He was not deterred.
In July 2020, Celeste called the police fearing for her safety.
Mrs Di Mauro said she thought Sako had ‘learned his lesson’ and ‘became scared’ to stop contacting her daughter.
‘Everything stops. He disappears. We literally thought it was over,” she said.
But about four months later, Sako followed her to her home, climbed through her bedroom window and stabbed her to death.
“Never, never did it occur to me… ..that this beast could do something like this,” said Mrs. Di Mauro.
Sako (pictured in handcuffs) was denied a life sentence on February 29 after he was found to have serious mental disorders that impaired his judgment
Ms Di Mauro said the attention Celeste received from him was neither wanted nor reciprocated.
She said Sako had made her daughter’s life miserable, but police initially did not take the young woman’s complaints seriously.
The grieving mother called for reform of stalking laws and the way police respond to alleged victims.
“I promised Celeste that I would get her justice one way or another,” Ms Di Mauro said.
Victoria’s Law Reform Commission launched an investigation into Celeste’s murder and has since issued 45 recommendations from the report.
But Ms Di Mauro said she is disappointed by the delays in introducing such reforms since her daughter’s death almost four years ago.
“I got commitments and promises and, stupid me, I believed it all,” she said.
“And we know that if Celeste’s situation were to arise right now… the same way it would happen again.”