The actions of a woman who hatched a murder plot — resulting in the deaths of two men — have been described as "pure evil" by the victim's sister.
On Friday, the Supreme Court of Victoria heard that Biannca Edmunds continues to maintain her innocence over the 2016 murder of ex-partner Michael Caposiena.
Edmunds was found guilty of murder after a jury agreed that she and husband Glen Cassidy plotted for Mr Caposiena to be killed at his home in Melbourne's north.
At the time, Edmunds was involved in a bitter custody dispute with Mr Caposiena over their young son.
Edmunds was not present when Cassidy drove to the house armed with a gun to carry out the killing, leaving a cling-wrapped plate of chicken schnitzel and peas in his car.
He never returned because the murder plot backfired.
While Mr Caposiena died from a bullet to the head, Cassidy also bled to death at the property when he was stabbed with a kitchen knife.
Police found a hand-drawn map of the victim's property in Cassidy's pocket, which had Edmunds's DNA on it.
Poorly-typed notes on Cassidy's phone also revealed a list that included "One bulet" [sic], "Getting him alone", "Body" and "Transport".
Investigators also uncovered incriminating phone calls between Edmunds and Cassidy.
Victims traumatised by violent murder
On Friday, prosecutors read out victim impact statements to the court, including from Mr Caposiena's partner Silvana Silva.
Ms Silva said Mr Caposiena was the "the love of my life", and she continued to be haunted by witnessing his murder.
Ms Silva also said she continued to suffer the physical impacts of being bashed by Cassidy during the fatal home invasion.
Mr Caposiena's sister Maria-Assunta said she missed her beloved brother.
"Who would really do this to him? This was pure evil," she said.
Ms Caposiena's mother Soccorsa said she remained "broken" over the death of her son.
"There is a very big void in my heart that will never heal," she said.
Edmunds maintains innocence despite guilty verdict
Edmunds, who watched proceedings from the court dock, grimaced and looked down during the pre-sentence hearing before Justice Lex Lasry.
Justice Lasry now has the task of deciding the sentence for Edmunds, who faces a maximum penalty of life in jail for the killing of Mr Caposiena.
Edmunds' lawyer Sharon Lacy said the 37-year-old was not "the driving force or instigator" of the killing, pinning most of the blame on Cassidy.
"It's quite clear Ms Edmunds maintains her innocence," Ms Lacy said.
"This is not a case where she has gone about finding a dupe to fulfil her motive."
Ms Lacy said Cassidy was "out of control" and "went quite berserk" when he committed the killing and the assault on Ms Silva.
However Ms Lacy conceded her client did want sole custody of the child she shared with Mr Caposiena, and wanted her former partner out of her life.
Ms Lacy said her client had previously suffered violence at the hands of Mr Caposiena, a major factor in hostility between the pair.
She said while in prison, Edmunds was suffering distress from not being able to see her children in person and was experiencing chronic pain from adenomyosis, plantar fasciitis and carpel tunnel syndrome.
Justice Lasry described recorded phone conversations between Edmunds and Cassidy, where they spoke in code about the murder plot, as "quite extraordinary".
"The thing that struck me was how matter-of-fact these things were … What was being discussed was someone being murdered," he said.
"She wanted [Mr Caposiena] killed and must have known it was going to happen in his home."
Justice Lasry said had Cassidy not been killed in the incident, he too would have faced a trial over Mr Caposiena's death.
Edmunds will be sentenced at a later date.
