Clint Allen was heading home about 1am on Sunday after surprising his wife with a birthday dinner at the Criterion Hotel in Sale when he was allegedly attacked.
The 38-year-old father allegedly received a stab wound to the chest.
Spencer Shumski, 20, has been charged with murder.
“We watched him die on the side of the road. We watched him die,” wife Bek Allen told 9News.
The pair and their two daughters had just moved to the regional town from Melbourne’s south-east in January after spending 12 months travelling around Australia.
Mrs Allen said they were excited to arrive in Sale.
“We just put a dot on the map and we thought Sale looked alright. Clearly not,” she said.
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“He would do anything for anyone. He would do everything for me and the girls, 100 per cent.”
He was just five weeks shy of becoming a grandfather.
The cabinet maker wasn’t just a loving family man but a caring friend.
“Clint was a guy with a heart of gold and whenever he walked into a room, within five minutes he would be everyone’s friend. Everyone always spoke well of him,” friend Adrian Yarzabal said.
“He would give you the shirt of his back.”
He’s due to return to court in Sale by videolink again on September 19.
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