Exotic dancer sent Nicki Minaj song ‘Save Me’ moments before death

Slain exotic dancer Ellie Price sent a video of a Nicki Minaj song, called “Save Me”, to a brothel boss moments before she was allegedly murdered by her boyfriend.

A slain exotic dancer sent a video of a Nicki Minaj song, entitled “Save Me”, to a brothel boss in the minutes before she was allegedly murdered by her boyfriend, a court has heard.

Young mum Ellie Price, 26, sent brothel tycoon Mark Gray a text message of the song in the early hours of April 29, 2020, with the lyrics, “This time, won’t you save me?”

Within the next 30 minutes, prosecutors allege Ms Price’s boyfriend Ricardo Barbaro stabbed her to death on the bedroom floor of her South Melbourne apartment before fleeing in her Mercedes Benz.

Mr Barbaro has pleaded not guilty to murder, with his lawyers claiming the case was a “whodunit”.

His Supreme Court trial was on Friday played the song, ‘Save Me’, as Mr Gray, standing in the witness box, mimed the lyrics.

“This time, won’t you save me? Baby, I can feel myself givin’ up, givin’ up,” the song blared.

Mr Gray – a “friend” who gave Ms Price “substantial” amounts of cash over three years after meeting her at a strip club – tapped his fingers and bounced his foot to the music.

“She was into that sort of thing,” Mr Gray said of Ms Price, who sent him the video at 3.57am that April morning.

Ellie Price was found brutally murdered in her South Melbourne home.

Ellie Price, 26, was a young mum.

“All her songs meant something, and that one definitely meant something.”

The jury heard that Ms Price’s car was seen driving from her apartment at 4.30am that day, and later found “concealed” at a rural property in Diggers Rest.

At 4.33am, Mr Gray responded to Ms Price’s text of the song clip: “There’s just so much I don’t understand, I just hope you can sort it out over time.”

He never got a reply.

A week earlier, Mr Gray said he saw Ms Price for the last time, where he noticed “a giant bruise on her neck” that she said was from her ex-boyfriend, ‘Ricardo’, trying to choke her.

She then demanded $100k from Mr Gray, or she’d tell the police he raped her.

Text messages shown to the jury revealed he’d paid $25k, the first of four instalments, when she died.

Ricardo Barbaro has pleaded not guilty to murder. Picture: David Crosling

“The extortion was false, but I couldn’t run the risk of defending that claim,” Mr Gray said.

“How would a false rape allegation go down with your family?”

Justice Lex Lasry questioned Mr Gray about whether his relationship with Ms Price was “platonic”.

He agreed, denying that they had a Sugar Daddy or Sugar Baby arrangement because there was no sexual element.

However, a message from Mr Gray to Ms Price’s older sister read: “As much as I hate to think it … was closer to a Sugar Daddy arrangement than anything else and I am so embarrassed and humiliated for it all to be exposed in court for the whole world to see.”

Under questioning by prosecutor Damien Hannan, Mr Gray said he had considered a future with Mr Price.

“But it was impossible,” he said.

“She had serious mental health issues, it remained where it was, as friends.”

Mr Gray is expected to be cross-examined by defence barrister Rishi Nathwani on Monday.

The trial, estimated to run for four weeks, continues.