{"id":75752,"date":"2026-08-19T16:20:55","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T16:20:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/75752\/"},"modified":"2026-08-19T16:20:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T16:20:55","slug":"vicky-apostolopoulos-family-angry-at-killer-milorad-zarics-sentence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/75752\/","title":{"rendered":"Vicky Apostolopoulos\u2019 family angry at killer Milorad Zaric\u2019s sentence"},"content":{"rendered":"

The outraged family of a woman murdered by her neighbour while protecting his son says the justice system has catastrophically failed them.<\/p>\n

Relatives of beloved Bayswater mother Vicky Apostolopoulos,<\/a> 51, gasped with shock as her killer Milorad Zaric,<\/a> 48, was sentenced in the Supreme Court on Wednesday to a minimum of 14 years and six months behind bars for her murder and the assault of her eldest son Riley.<\/p>\n

Speaking publicly for the first time, Riley Van Aken slammed the \u201chorrific\u201d sentence handed to his mum\u2019s killer.<\/p>\n

Then aged 16, Riley risked his own life to try to save his mum,<\/a> detaining Zaric in a chokehold which he only released after his younger brother Tyler had fled the home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing I do without having mum on my mind. There\u2019s nothing I can do, whether it be school or other achievements, where I feel any sort of successfulness from it as I\u2019m not able to share it with mum anymore,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe should have gotten life imprisonment without parole.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through tears, her sister Mary Kadis said the family was \u201cutterly devastated and disgusted\u201d by the sentence.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat a disgrace of a justice system. It is impossible to understand how a brutal murder can result in a sentence that gives a murderer hope for freedom,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the victim\u2019s family is left suffering a lifetime of loss, we will never get paroled from this sentence. We will never get to see Vicky again. Never hear her voice, have another hug, or share another moment with her.<\/p>\n

\u201cYet the murderer who took her life one day will have the opportunity to walk free. Once again, the justice system has failed. It\u2019s failed Vicky, failed her children, and failed every single person who loved her.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur family is absolutely devastated, shattered and heartbroken, and struggling to understand how a life as precious as Vicky\u2019s can be valued so little.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms Apostolopoulos was warm-hearted and generous and had no reason to fear Zaric, whom she\u2019d baked cupcakes for two days before her murder on November 16, 2024.<\/p>\n

Her killing occurred after another act of kindness \u2013 opening the door to Zaric\u2019s son who was in fear of his life.<\/a><\/p>\n

Then aged 17, the boy had been punched by Zaric, who was armed with a knife and high on ketamine.<\/p>\n

When Zaric came to her door, Ms Apostolopoulos let him in, and in a state of drug-induced psychosis, he stabbed her in the abdomen, shoulder, and neck.<\/a><\/p>\n

The attack was witnessed by Riley, while Tyler hid terrified in a closet.<\/p>\n

Justice Jacinta Forbes found that Zaric was in a state of ketamine-induced psychosis when he killed his neighbour, and the act was deeply out of character, with those who knew him describing him as an otherwise \u201cgenerous and patient man\u201d.<\/p>\n

Zaric had been taking ketamine which he sourced illegally to treat depression, he told police.<\/p>\n

Justice Forbes did not accept he used the drugs to eliminate a medical issue, but rather to make himself \u201cless sad\u201d, noting his \u201cirrational and bizarre\u201d behaviour was witnessed by multiple family members in the days leading to Ms Apostolopoulos\u2019s murder.<\/p>\n

That morning, Zaric was heard laughing at 4am, having taken a kitchen drawer and all the food from the fridge outside the home to \u201cfeed a possum\u201d.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d also tackled his son and punched him in the face, causing him to fall down the stairs, and days earlier warned, \u201cthere is a war coming\u201d.<\/p>\n

Ms Apostolopoulos\u2019s family is devastated that she was not forewarned about the danger he posed.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one considered Vicky or her children that day. Intervention is prevention. They failed to act when it mattered most,\u201d Ms Kadis said.<\/p>\n

Justice Forbes said Zaric\u2019s sentence was mitigated by factors including his guilty plea, genuine remorse, and \u201cexcellent\u201d prospects of rehabilitation if he remains drug-free.<\/p>\n

She sentenced him to 21 years imprisonment for murder and eight months for the assault of Riley, with three months to be served cumulatively.<\/p>\n

She said the non-parole period of 14 years and six months would facilitate his rehabilitation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my view, it meets the needs of justice,\u201d Justice Forbes said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The outraged family of a woman murdered by her neighbour while protecting his son says the justice 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