Following the death of a 23-year-old woman, the text messages sent to her by her stalker have been revealed - unraveling the chilling circumstances around her murder.
Celeste Manno, 23, met a tragic end just hours after sharing a photo with her new boyfriend on Instagram. The young woman was killed by her former co-worker, Luay Nader Sako, who had inundated her with disturbing messages, despite a court-imposed intervention order.
Manno was discovered dead in her bedroom at her family's Melbourne home in Australia, in November 2020, having been stabbed 23 times with a kitchen knife, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Sako, 39, who had previously worked with Manno in a call center, pleaded guilty to the murder, which took place just days before her 24th birthday.
During the pre-sentence hearing at the Supreme Court of Victoria on Monday, harrowing details emerged about Sako's actions leading up to the crime.
The court heard that Sako created multiple Instagram accounts to bombard Manno with disturbing messages, violating the court-imposed intervention order.
"I’m sorry but I can’t stop thinking about you," Sako messaged Manno. "This obsession with you, which is a crush, is an addictive and destructive feeling that is interfering with my ability to concentrate, deal with others and go about my daily routine."
Despite Manno's polite responses, making it clear that she only felt professionally towards him, Sako persisted. In one message, Manno pleaded with him to stop contacting her and informed him that she had notified the police.
"Hi Luay, those are really sweet words and I appreciate you saying all of that to me. I’m a bit surprised to read this all as it is new to me,” Manno wrote, cited by ABC.
“As much as I appreciate this, I only feel in a professional way towards you and I wish you all of the best in your new job and journey. I would really appreciate it if you could stop contacting me as this is making me very uncomfortable."
The young woman also confided in a supervisor, expressing her fear for her life, saying: "He’s really going to kill me."
On November 16, 2020, at 3:48AM, Sako broke into Manno's family home, using a hammer to smash through her bedroom window.
The entire ordeal, from Sako's arrival to the scene, the murder using a kitchen knife, and his return to his vehicle, took just two minutes and 39 seconds, as revealed in court.
After committing the crime, Sako traveled to a nearby police station and informed officers: "She’s dead. She’s dead … go have a look. You know what happened. It’s your fault."
Last week, Sako chose to represent himself at the pre-sentence hearing after dumping his lawyers. He expressed a desire to "contest" parts of the murder case, particularly disputing the number of wounds inflicted on Manno.
Addressing the reports that Manno was stabbed 23 times, Sako claimed: "I know and believe I only inflicted two, and the 21 other wounds were a result of glass-inflicted injuries."
The prosecution has contested this assertion, with Prosecutor Patrick Bourke KC stating that the Crown "certainly takes issue" with Sako's claim.
The pre-sentencing hearing is currently ongoing.
