EXCLUSIVE
Melbourne woman Nikkita Azzopardi appeared worried just hours before police allege her partner beat her to death in the most horrific way.
She had voiced concerns on the phone to her partner Joel Micallef’s own family on the evening of October 26 last year.
That night, police allege Micallef, 33, murdered the beloved accountant inside the South Morang home, in Melbourne‘s north-east, they shared.
Alleged ‘issues’ between the pair were known to some of Ms Azzopardi’s friends and family throughout the course of their two-year relationship, after first meeting in 2017.
A source told Daily Mail Australia with just hours to live, Ms Azzopardi allegedly told Micallef’s relative her partner had taken off.
He would not return again until many hours later.
The battered body of the 35-year old was found two days later by her brothers Shaun and Darren Azzopardi and her parents when they went to perform a welfare check.
Police allege Micallef had spent two days with his lover’s body.
Joel Micallef (right) has been charged with murder following the discovery of the body of his girlfriend of two years (left)
Nikkita’s mother Vimla, brother Shaun and father Edward outside the Supreme Court of Victoria on Friday. They are desperate for Micallef to face a jury trial
A lone bouquet of flowers was placed outside Ms Azzopardi’s South Morang home days after she was allegedly murdered
On Friday, Micallef appeared before the Supreme Court of Victoria where his lawyers launched a mental impairment defence.
The alleged killer previously pleaded not guilty to murder in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court, and Friday’s hearing sparked emotional scenes from Ms Azzopardi’s family.
As many are likely be called as witnesses if a trial begins, they were unable to attend the hearing, but outside court, their grief could not be contained.
Ms Azzopardi’s mother, Vimla, was seen sobbing outside the court and brother Shaun told Daily Mail Australia he wanted a jury trial to make a full inquiry into the events leading to his sister’s death.
‘We want a jury trial. We believe Nikkita deserves it,’ he said this week.
While Mr Azzopardi said he was limited in what he could say for legal reasons, he confirmed Micallef was known to suffer from ‘mental problems’.
When Mr Azzopardi and his parents arrived at his sister’s home, they had no idea what lay behind the door. They jumped a gate and smashed through a sliding door.
Inside, they found Micallef with the body of his partner.
Nikkita Azzopardi was allegedly beaten to death with a blunt instrument
Family fun: Shaun, Nikkita, Darren and Vimla Azzopardi in happier times
Heartbroken: Nikkita Azzopardi’s mother Vimla (pictured) weeps outside the Supreme Court of Victoria on Friday
Micallef had been running an online business selling tools and accessories with the ongoing help of Ms Azzopardi throughout their relationship.
The last time Mr Azzopardi saw his sister alive was nine days before her alleged murder during a birthday party for his son at a go-karting centre.
‘I thought my sister was just coming but he came along so I was shocked,’ he said.
It is another event Mr Azzopardi will forever be tormented by.
‘I think to myself I should have did more, asked her what she was doing?’ he said.
Mr Azzopardi said his sister knew of Micallef’s mental health battle, but stood by him all the same.
‘I think she never said anything to anyone because she was worried we might have told her,’ he said. ‘And I don’t think she wanted to hear it.
‘She’s the type of person who thought she could fix him … My sister was a strong-willed person, she was opinionated, he seemed quite soft, quite the opposite.’
Ms Azzopardi’s family came looking for her after she didn’t show for a family barbecue and didn’t answer calls
The Azzopardi family (Nikkita is second from top right) during a birthday celebration
Investigators were seen carrying a safe from the house as detectives continued their work
Mr Azzopardi said no person should have to witness what he saw upon breaking his way into his sister’s home.
‘Just seeing her in the state that I did,’ he said.
‘Those images will never leave my brain. It was messed up. I cannot describe how horrific it was.’
The Supreme Court heard Micallef’s taxpayer-funded lawyers want him to be assessed by forensic psychiatrist Andrew Carroll.
Dr Carroll has provided clinical advice on everyone from Bourke Street killer James ‘Dimitrious’ Gargasoulas to Celeste Manno’s killer Luay Nader Sako.
The court heard Dr Carroll’s services were in such demand from lawyers requiring his services that it could take anywhere up to three months to tie him down.
Prosecutors expressed concerns about the delay, suggesting another expert might have to suffice should Dr Carroll be unavailable.
There are no shortages of forensic experts called upon by alleged criminals to assess them over mental impairment defences.
Once assessed by a psychiatrist acting for the defence, Micallef will then need to be assessed by one for the prosecution.
Nikkita and her brother Shaun were always close
Shaun Azzopardi outside sister’s home after the alleged murder last October
Police remove evidence from the home Nikkita shared with her alleged killer in October 2024
The court heard further delays of up to 20 weeks at the Victoria Police Forensic Services Department was also hampering the prosecution case.
The alleged killer will claim he had ‘mental health issues’ which meant he had no control over his actions.
The court heard Micallef had a history of such issues recorded in his medical files.
