A Sydney man who killed his estranged wife will be released from jail next year after being sentenced for her manslaughter on Thursday.
Ahmad Hodroj, 41, was found in the fetal position inside his Bexley home in July 2023, telling his brother-in-law, “look after the children,” after killing his wife, Amira Moughnieh.
The 30-year-old mother-of-three was found by her brother — Hodroj’s brother-in-law — lifeless on the kitchen floor and called emergency services.
Family and domestic violence support services:NSW Domestic Violence Line on 1800 656 4631800 Respect National Helpline on 1800 737 732Lifeline on 131 114Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491Mensline on 1300 789 978Full Stop Australia on 1800 385 578Emergency services on triple-0 if you need immediate care
Hodroj told the man, “come, I need you,” and hugged him as he arrived at the Western Sydney home more than two years ago.
“Look after the children … I don’t know what happened. Amira was yelling,” the brother-in-law later told emergency services that Hodroj had pleaded with him.
The man had called triple-0 and told an operator that Ms Moughnieh’s face was swollen and “I think she’s dead”.
Hodroj pleaded guilty to domestic violence-related manslaughter in March after police dropped a murder charge against him.
Police taking photos at the scene in Unwin Street, Bexley. (ABC News: Courtney Barrett Peters)
Ms Moughnieh had come to Australia from Lebanon and married Hodroj in 2014.
By 2022, Ms Moughnieh ended the relationship and told friends Hodroj was “tight with his money” and “attempted to control her friendships”.
The day she died, she called a friend and said she was “happy” and had been given more shifts at work.
Ms Moughnieh was an aged care worker and became an Australian citizen in the months before she was killed
Court documents state Hodroj had blood coming from his eyes and nose at the scene and was “shaking”.
“I was talking to her and she started to scream. I don’t know what happened,” Hodroj said, according to the court documents.
Swabs from under Hodroj’s thumbnails contained DNA that experts said Ms Moughnieh could not be excluded.
Police observed Hodroj had a “long scratch” on one side of his face when they arrived at the scene.
He did not respond when asked by officers about what happened and declined an interview with the police.
In the District Court on Thursday, Judge Leonie Flannery sentenced Hodroj to a five-year jail term with a non-parole period of three years.
With time served in custody taken into account, Hodroj will be released from jail on parole in July next year.