Danielle Lee Birchall sentenced for ‘savage’ 2020 murder of father-in-law Kon Kritikos

A murderer who “savagely” attacked her elderly father-in-law in his Coburg home showered off his blood after the violent assault, while he lay dying in the hallway.

Danielle Birchall was sentenced to a 20 year non-parole period for murdering 87-year-old Kon Kritikos in savage 2020 assault. Picture: Luis Enrique Ascui

The daughter-in-law and murderer of an elderly Greek man will spend at least 20 years behind bars for the “savage” attack that left the “kind and fragile” grandfather dying on the floor of his Coburg home.

Danielle Lee Birchall, 49, was sentenced in the Supreme Court on Friday to a non-parole period of 20 years behind bars for the murder of 87-year-old Kon Kritikos in November 2020.

Birchall — who was found guilty by jury in November last year — wore all black and kept her head down throughout the sentencing.

Justice Christopher Beale said Birchall had shown “no evidence of remorse” and “continues to deny responsibility for the murder”.

Mr Kritikos was home alone at his Coburg property when he was seriously assaulted.

Throughout the trial, Birchall maintained her innocence, claiming George Kritikos (Mr Kritikos’ son) was involved in a plot to steal from his father and had lied to police to frame her.

Justice Beale said this claim was “pouring salt in George’s wounds”.

“It was put to him that he killed his own father by proxy,” Justice Beale said.

“In his victim impact statement, he said he might as well be in jail because his dad was his only friend.”

The court heard Mr Kritikos had been home alone at the time of the attack, as his wife was in hospital recovering from a fall.

Birchall and her partner George had been “longstanding heroin addicts” when she “savagely assaulted (Mr Kritikos) with murderous intention” on November 11, 2020.

The court heard Birchall knew Mr Kritikos kept “substantial amounts of cash” in a glory box in the bedroom of his Coburg home.

Mr Kritikos died from his injuries in hospital on November 24, 2020.

On the afternoon of the assault, Mr Kritikos’ neighbours heard “thudding and groaning” from the home and had gone to check on him.

Birchall spoke to them through the door, telling them “everything is OK”.

Crime scene investigators found she had showered in Mr Kritikos’s home after the attack, while he lay “prostrated” and bleeding in the hallway, she later returned home with different clothing and wet hair.

The court heard Birchall and George had visited their drug dealer in Fitzroy later that night before she suggested driving by Mr Kritikos’ home “since he was on his own”.

Justice Beale said Birchall believed Mr Kritikos to be dead when she suggested the drive by.

George and Birchall went inside to investigate, where they found “blood everywhere” and Mr Kritikos on the floor with his face “horribly disfigured”.

Birchall was found guilty by a jury in November last year. Picture: David Crosling

The court heard Mr Kritikos had suffered 30 lacerations to his body, numerous facial fractures and had missing teeth, two of which were found in his bowel in an autopsy.

When asked who attacked him, Mr Kritikos repeatedly told his son “she did it” in Greek, referring to Birchall.

Mr Kritikos died in hospital from his injuries on November 24, 2020.

In a victim impact statement, Mr Kritikos’ nephew said the family was “devastated by the brutality” of the assault against a “kind and fragile man in his home, his safe haven”.

Mr Kritikos’ neighbours also gave statements, where they said their “faith in their fellow man was broken” at the thought “there was someone who could perpetrate a crime at this magnitude against someone as vulnerable as Kon”.

She will spend at least 20 years behind bars for the savage murder. Picture: Luis Enrique Ascui

Justice Beale said the murder was “an upper range example”, where Birchall “viciously attacked” a “fragile, elderly man in his own home”, leaving him to suffer an “agonising death”.

The court heard Birchall had a long history of drug abuse and had spent previous time behind bars for dishonesty and deception offending.

She was sentenced to 27 years imprisonment with a non-parole period of 20 years.

Birchall has spent 1362 days in pre-sentence detention, meaning she will be eligible for parole in 2041.