James Pualic pleads guilty in Supreme Court to brutally murdering Analyn ‘Logee’ Osias in front of her little kids
A brutal killer told his victim’s family he would remember her “kind heartedness and infectious smile” after a “demonic voice” told him to murder the beloved Bendigo mother.
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TUESDAY UPDATE:A brutal killer told his victim’s family he would remember her “kind heartedness and infectious smile” after a “demonic voice” told him to murder the beloved Bendigo mother.
The pre-sentence hearing of murderer James Pualic, 45, concluded on Tuesday at the Supreme Court after the killer pleaded guilty to brutally stabbing Bendigo mother 46-year-old Analyn “Logee” Osias to death in front of her kids after breaking into her home on October 29, 2023.
Clinical forensic psychiatrist professor Andrew Carroll told the court Pualic killed Ms Osias in an “indignant rage” after she ended their relationship, driven by the “explosive onset” of “suicidal and homicidal ideation” that was “typical” of his mental health conditions.
Pualic was diagnosed with schizo-type disorder after telling Prof Carroll 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.
Crown prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC said there was a lack of evidence to support Pualic’s diagnoses, saying the killer had exaggerated his symptoms to try for a mental impairment defence and argued Pualic’s murder of Ms Osias was premeditated.
Pualic’s barrister Nick Goodenough said they weren’t there to “excuse the inexcusable”, acknowledging the “heinous nature” of the murder, but argued Pualic had “accepted responsibility” and shown remorse in a letter to the court.
However, the Ms Rogers argued Pualic’s “remorse” was merely a self-serving attempt to lessen his sentence.
Pualic stated in a letter to Ms Osias’ children he would “forever remember her kind heartedness and infectious smile, which the prosecution described as a “glib” and insincere attempt to improve his situation.
The Ms Rogers argued the evidence of the killer’s unstable mental health the defence relied on for mercy proved Pualic was a risk of violent reoffending.
Protection of the community from the savage killer’s inability to regulate his violent urges “when frustrated” was the most important part of sentencing, Ms Rogers said.
Justice Rita Incerti will hand down her sentence at a future date that is yet to be determined.
MONDAY UPDATE:
The broken-hearted daughter of a murdered Bendigo woman says her “disgusting and worthless” killer’s actions will “forever break my heart and soul”.
James Pualic, 45, faced the Supreme Court for a pre-sentence hearing on Monday after pleading guilty to the murder of 46-year-old Analyn “Logee” Osias.
Pualic had abused Ms Osias during an eight-month relationship where he exposed her and her children to violence and “coercive control”, the court heard.
Police got involved in July after Pualic assaulted Ms Osias, forcing her to end the relationship.
Ms Osias reported to police that Pualic began following her and her family members in his car while her children were dropped off at school over the preceding months.
Living in fear of Pualic, Ms Osias said she couldn’t sleep and started staying in her daughters’ bedroom.
Pualic broke into Ms Osias’ home and brutally murdered her in front of her children on October 29, 2023.
He broke the bedroom window of her two young daughters, before “ripping a security door off its hinges”.
He started to strangle Ms Osias, then slammed her head on the ground multiple times before he grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed her in the face and neck while her horrified daughter watched before fleeing the scene.
Her two terrified primary school aged daughters were left to call triple-0 and perform CPR on Ms Osias until emergency services arrived.
Ms Osias tragically died in hospital from wounds inflicted by Pualic.
The murderer, who was on bail at the time, was found the next morning hiding in the bush nearby.
Ms Osias’ daughter said in a victim impact statement that there were “no words in the universe to describe the pain and numbness I feel”.
“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.”
Ms Osias’ daughter said their family had been left devastated by her death.
“I have the strongest sense of grief in my life and I don’t know how to deal with it,” she said.
“I’m scared of forgetting my mum, as if she was a distant memory. “
She said Pualic was a “disgusting and worthless person” who didn’t deserve their anguish, but the murder would “forever break my heart and soul”.
Ms Osias’s sister-in-law described her as a “strong, capable, self assured, and independent woman”.
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She said Ms Osias was a “determined woman” who was dedicated to giving her children a better life after growing up in an orphanage.
“She was a loving mother and hard worker,” she said.
The court heard Pualic had drunk more than half a bottle of vodka and swallowed 12 tablets of Olanzapine in an attempt to commit suicide.
Olanzapine is used to treat personality disorders like schizophrenia and bipolar disorders.
The killer claims he remembers nothing of the murder.
A forensic psychiatrist told the court Pualic had complex PTSD after he reported “different sides” of his personality, and “identity disturbances”.
The court heard Pualic had a “propensity to emotional dysregulation and a tendency to reckless behaviour”.
The prosecution argued Pualic may have exaggerated his mental health problems to seek a defence of psychological impairment.
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