Nelson Lai, who killed his girlfriend 10 years ago, accused of making threats to kill and driving on methamphetamine

A man who fatally shot his girlfriend in Sunshine in 2013 has threatened to kill his new partner and sent her a warning that he was going to make her “famous”.

Nelson Lai ‘has not changed his behaviour at all in relation to this path of family violence’, a court heard. Picture: Nicole Garmston

Killer Nelson Lai, who escaped with a manslaughter conviction despite shooting his girlfriend in the head while high on ice, has now threatened to kill his new partner.

A decade after Lai shot Rekiah O’Donnell, a Melbourne court heard on Wednesday that he had made the chilling threats against his girlfriend of nine weeks and her mother, including sending a text warning: “I’m going to make you famous”.

Ms O’Donnell died on October 11, 2013, from a gunshot wound to the head, with her abusive boyfriend claiming a gun he was holding for drug dealers “went off” by accident in his Sunshine home.

Lai was charged with murder, but a jury ultimately convicted him of manslaughter, with the serial woman beater sentenced to a minimum of just six years and 11 months in jail.

Rekiah O'Donnell was fatally shot by her boyfriend Nelson Lai in 2013.

The case prompted a marathon campaign by Ms O’Donnell’s family, supported by the Herald Sun, for “Rekiah’s Law” – requiring anyone proved to have shot another person not in self-defence be convicted of murder.

In 2020, a new offence of “homicide by firearm” was created, carrying a maximum 25 years jail.

On Wednesday, 44-year-old Lai faced Sunshine Magistrates’ Court, accused of making threats to kill and driving on methamphetamine.

The court heard that his new girlfriend’s mother had told police Lai was “possessive and stalking” her daughter, who had been seen with “black eyes” during their short “abusive relationship”.

Nelson Lai was sentenced to a minimum of just six years and 11 months in jail for killing his girlfriend Rekiah O'Donnell. Picture: Nicole Garmston

After his October arrest, police seized Lai’s phone and found a “barrage” of threatening and abusive texts to his girlfriend, who did not wish to make a statement.

“On multiple occasions he uses the phrase, “I’m going to make you famous,” the prosecutor said of the threatening texts.

“My interpretation of that is he is trading on his past in relation to using that in an intimidating way.”

The daughter also told her mum of Lai’s threats to damage her mother’s car, and soon after, her car was indeed damaged, the court heard.

Rekiah O'Donnell’s family, supported by the Herald Sun, campaigned for ‘Rekiah’s Law’.

Lai’s lawyer Richard Revill argued he should be released on a community corrections order.

At one point, Lai could be heard on a video link from Melbourne Assessment Prison, asking the lawyer, “When can we apply for bail?”

“This is ridiculous,” he said to the court, before the magistrate came on the bench.

Noting the presence of media on the court link, he said: “Herald Sun – wow”.

Mr Revill said his client was “grappling with issues” and that the kill threat to the mother was “made in the heat of the moment expressing frustration he couldn’t find his partner”.

“Obviously it has the context of his significant prior conviction, which does give his detractors some elbow room.”

But the prosecutor argued that Lai “has not changed his behaviour at all in relation to this path of family violence”, noting that he could be sentenced to three years.

“A message must be sent to the community that threatening to kill an intimate partner will not be tolerated, such behaviour must be denounced in the strongest way,” the prosecutor said.

Magistrate Heather Lambrick questioned whether Lai had “ever been in a relationship where there hasn’t been domestic violence of some type or another”.

“This is as serious as it gets,” Her Honour said.

She rejected his call to be given a Community Corrections Order, but still offered a minimum 12-month jail sentence if he pleaded guilty.

Lai rejected the plea offer and will return to court in February where he will contest charges of threat to kill and using a carriage service to offend.

He separately faces charges of drug driving on methylamphetamine, driving while his licence was suspended and failing an oral fluid test in Balwyn in August.