Susie O’Brien: Why isn’t Karen Ristevski’s life worth more?

Borce Ristevski has been sentenced to nine years with a non-parole period of six years for killing and dumping his wife Karen in a lonely bushland grave. Surely a woman’s life is worth more than that asks Susie O’Brien.

Borce Ristevski killed Karen, his wife of 27 years, bundled her body into the boot of his car and dumped it in a lonely bushland grave.

He then spent the next three years pretending to be a heartbroken widower, lying to police, his daughter and her family.

He carried her coffin. He cried tears at press conferences. He grasped the hand of their daughter Sarah as he urged the public to help find her.

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All this time he knew she was already dead — killed by him in her own home where she should have been safe.

Today Ristevski was sentenced to jail for a maximum of nine years and a minimum of six years for this crime and cover-up.

With time already spent in jail, he could be out in four and a half years.

Four and a half years.

Karen Ristevski with her husband Borce Ristevski and daughter Sarah. Supplied

It’s a far cry from the maximum sentence of 20 years for manslaughter.

Surely a woman’s life is worth more than this?

Karen was a beloved mother, daughter, sister, niece and friend and her life should count for more.

Ristevski’s duplicitous and callous behaviour was brazen and added enormously to the grief of Karen’s family.

They’ve described his actions as “vicious” and “agonising”. And yet it

doesn’t seem to have made any difference.

Ristevski denied killing her for three long years, saying she walked out after a fight over money.

Today Borce Ristevski was sentenced to jail for a maximum of nine years and a minimum of six years for this crime and cover-up.

He only admitted he killed her a few weeks ago, pleading guilty to manslaughter only after the prosecution was forced to drop the murder charge.

Supreme Court of Victoria Justice Christopher Beale said Ristevski had shown “no true remorse’’ and “engaged in rank deceit’’ and yet he’s been given a manifestly light sentence.

We still don’t know why or how Karen was killed.

Her husband has not offered any explanation that would suggest any form of remorse.

Ristevski’s guilty plea smacks of little more than self-interest.

He wouldn’t be the only killer to plead guilty to a lesser charge in the expectation of a lighter sentence.

Karen was a beloved mother, daughter, sister, niece and friend and her life should count for more.

No sentence will ever bring back Karen Ristevski, but it would be nice to think her life would count for a little more than six years in jail.

She was just 47 and had decades ahead of her.

Her killer will be free in four and a half years, ready to start a new life.

Sarah, Karen and her family will never have this opportunity.

Karen’s family today have said they don’t feel they have had justice today and I am sure many others agree with them.

A woman died in her own home, brutally killed by her husband, but this sentence will do little to send the message that this is a serious and brutal crime.