A ‘demon’ accused of the gruesome stabbing murder of a young graduate has finally admitted to killing her.
Luay Sako, 37, from Roxburgh Park, became obsessed with Celeste Manno when they worked together at a Serco call center in Melbourne’s Mill Park.
She was nice to him the day he was fired and he started stalking her, forcing Mrs. Manno to intervene against him.
He bombarded her with more than 150 messages from numerous Instagram accounts for about a year and when she did not declare her love in return, he started threatening her.
The unemployed loner then broke into her home and stabbed her to death as she slept, days before her 24th birthday in November 2020.
Sako originally pleaded not guilty to the murder, but changed his plea to guilty on Thursday as Ms Manno’s devastated mother looked on.
Aggie Di Mauro sat meters away and stared at him throughout the hearing.
Celeste Manno, 23, was killed in November at her Melbourne home
Luay Sako, 37, of Roxburgh Park, became obsessed with Celeste Manno when they worked together in a Serco call center. He has now pleaded guilty to her murder
Sako pleaded not guilty to the murder but changed his plea to guilty on Thursday as Ms Manno’s devastated mother watched (Ms Manno and her mother pictured)
Sako previously indicated through his lawyers that he would plead not guilty through the intellectual disability defense.
He now returns to court for a listing on April 19.
“I can’t believe this demon was really within reach,” Ms Di Mauro told the Daily telegram.
“I just wanted to make him feel like I never took my eyes off him for a split second.
“Today, as I stared at him, all I thought was, ‘How can you literally, savagely, brutally kill someone who asked you so sweetly to please leave her alone?’
“She didn’t know this person.
“How dare you feel so entitled to take her away from me.”
It was the first time Mrs. Di Mauro attended court, along with her sisters, son and Celeste’s father.
‘I had to hear it with my own ears – he did indeed plead guilty. It’s the first time I’ve seen his face in person, so it was just really hard to sit there.
“I still can’t believe he pleaded guilty, as he’s always tried to evade conviction.”
Sako smashed his former colleague’s window at her childhood home in Mernda, Melbourne’s northeast, before stabbing her repeatedly with a knife as she lay in bed at around 4:10 am.
Ms. Manno was Sako’s team leader at a Serco call center before he was fired
He then fled over a blood-stained fence.
Sako turned herself in to local police hours later and was taken to hospital under police guard and treated for a hand injury that required surgery.
At his first court hearing – one of many he refused to attend in person – the court learned that Sako had no mental health problems and was not on any medication at the time of his 23-year-old victim’s murder.
Sako had been released to live in the community at the time of the alleged murder after being charged with violating a restraining order.
Ms. Manno was Sako’s team leader at a Serco call center in South Morang and comforted him when he left the company a year earlier.
Sako’s family was devastated by his arrest and said they didn’t know much about what he was doing at the time.
He was unemployed and lived in his parents’ house.
Ms Manno is pictured with her partner, Chris Ridsdale, who was looking forward to celebrating her birthday the week she was killed
Mrs. Manno’s brothers Jayden (left), Alesandro, uncle Gabriel and father Tony Manno, with her beloved niece Daisy
There was an outpouring of grief over the shocking death of Mrs. Manno, who was due to celebrate her birthday that week.
Ms Manno’s friend Chris Ridsdale was one of many family and friends who mourned the beloved young woman in the days following her death.
“She was supposed to celebrate Christmas with our family. Her family. Her mother. Her brothers,” he said at the time.
Mr Ridsdale revealed her excitement to upload the first photo of them as a couple to her social media profiles.
“We took this picture this week on Saturday,” he wrote.
A grief-stricken man is depicted laying flowers outside Mrs. Manno’s house
Pictured: the crime scene in Mernda where Mrs Manno was found dead
“We talked and joked about how this would be the first picture of us together on her social media and she was so excited to share it with everyone.
“I was told very clearly that this would be my new profile picture.”
Mr Ridsdale said he rarely uses his social media accounts but uploaded it as a special tribute to Ms Manno.
“Now I think it’s the best thing I can do for her. To show everyone how much she meant to me and how beautiful she was,” he said.