James Pualic jailed for 19 years for the murder of Bendigo mother Analyn ‘Logee’ Osias

A violent thug who stabbed a beloved Bendigo mum to death in front of her terrified daughter after she ended their relationship created a “ripple effect” of fear in the community.

James Pualic, 45, pleaded guilty to the murder of 46-year-old Analyn Logee Osias. Picture: Supplied.

The “cruel, vicious and entirely merciless” killer of a beloved Bendigo mother has been jailed for at least 19 years as the Judge sent a “clear message” to “all men” that domestic violence perpetrators would be severely punished

James Pualic, 45, pleaded guilty to brutally stabbing Bendigo mother 46-year-old Analyn “Logee” Osias to death in front of her kids on October 29, 2023.

James Pualic murdered Bendigo mother Analyn “Logee” Osias in front of her daughter. Picture: Supplied

Pualic broke into Ms Osias’ house and killed her in an “intense rage” after she broke off their relationship following months of domestic violence and “coercive control” from the savage killer.

“Tragically”, the retelling of what occurred came through the eyes of Ms Osias’ daughter, Justice Rita Incerti said, which “revealed the brutality” of his attack.

Ms Osias was sleeping in her daughter’s bedroom out of fear of Pualic when Pualic violently broke in and dragged her from the bed.

Ms Osias’ screams woke her daughter, who followed a “trail of blood” leading to the kitchen to witness her mother being brutally murdered.

Pualic bashed Ms Osias’s head on the ground “repeatedly” before grabbing a large kitchen knife and stabbing her multiple times.

Analyn Logee Osias was remembered as a “kind, courageous and loving mother” by her family. Picture: Supplied

He then cut her throat and called her a “bitch” before leaving her dying in a pool of blood while her daughter watched on in horror.

Ms Osias’ two terrified primary school aged daughters were left to call triple-0 and perform CPR on her until emergency services arrived.

Justice Incerti said “it must have been terrifying as (Ms Osias) vainly tried to defend herself” from the “ferocity of the psychical assault”.

Justice Incerti said Pualic had a “concerning” history of exposing his intimate partners to domestic violence and had broken into Ms Osias’ house and brutally assaulted her in a revenge attack the day after she ended their relationship in July.

Ms Osias lived in fear for months as Pualic stalked her and her children for months before he came to her house in the night and murdered her.

James Pualic left Analyn Osias in a pool of her own blood and her daughters to call emergency services. Picture: Aaron Francis

Justice Incerti said the killer “brazenly flouted” the protections put in place to protect her.

Her broken hearted daughter said the “disgusting and worthless” killer’s actions would “forever break my heart and soul”.

“Just try to imagine losing your mother … in the same horrific way,” she said.

“It was the most overwhelming amount of pain.

“She was our everything.”

Justice Incerti said the suffering Ms Osias’ children felt was “palpable” after Pualic had “torn apart” her family and subjected her young daughters to “unfathomable trauma”.

In a self-serving letter to Ms Osias’ children, Pualic stated he would “forever remember her kind heartedness and infectious smile” after he brutally killed Ms Osias in what Justice Incerti described as “the most serious instance” of domestic violence murder.

Justice Incerti said she needed to send a “clear message” to “all men” that serious domestic violence would be met with “extraordinarily strong punishment”.

“Women are being killed by their male partners at a disproportionate and utterly terrifying rate,” she said.

James Pualic pleaded guilty to the murder of 46-year-old Analyn Logee Osias. Picture: Supplied.

“At the time (Ms Osias) was murdered the full force of the law was still not enough to protect her.

Justice Incerti said Pualic’s offending undermined the community’s confidence in the “ability of the law to adequately protect women and children”.

“The ripple effect is wide reaching … It creates fear for other women and children. It leaves each of us with a feeling of helplessness,” she said.

“Miss Osias should have been free to remain in or leave her relationship with you as she saw fit.

“Her life was precious to her, her children, her family, her friends and to the community as a whole.”

The court heard Pualic had killed Ms Osias in a failed murder-suicide after drinking half-a-bottle of vodka and overdosing on Olanzapine used to treat his mental disorders.

Pualic told mental health professionals after his arrest that a “demon had overtaken him” and he “heard his uncle’s voice” telling him Ms Osias was “a witch” prior to killing her, the court heard.

The crown argued Pualic had exaggerated his mental health symptoms to try and get a lighter sentence.

Justice Incerti accepted the killer’s mental impairment and “disturbed childhood” were mitigating factors, but were dwarfed by the savagery of the murder.

Pualic was sentenced to 24 years and six months imprisonment, with a non-parole period of 19 years.

If he had not pleaded guilty, he would have been jailed for 29 years with a non-parole period of 24 years.