Danielle Birchall, 49, has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for the brutal murder of her de facto father-in-law, Kon Kritikos, in 2020.
The Victorian Supreme Court handed down the sentence on Friday, April 4, with Justice Christopher Beale describing the attack as “savage.”
Birchall had claimed she only went to Kritikos’ home in Coburg on November 11, 2020, to have a conversation.
However, a jury found that she viciously attacked the elderly man with a weapon, intending to steal money for drugs and a new car. After the assault, she left Kritikos dying on the floor.
Later that evening, Birchall returned with her partner, George Kritikos, to find his father semi-conscious and moaning.
When George asked who had attacked him, Kon responded, “afti, afti, afti”—meaning “she did it” in Greek. Kritikos was hospitalised but passed away two weeks later from his injuries.
Birchall denied responsibility for the murder, but the jury convicted her of the crime in November 2024. Justice Beale described the killing as particularly cruel, emphasising the victim’s frailty and the prolonged suffering he endured.
“You subjected him to many blows – his was an agonising death,” the judge said. Birchall’s lack of remorse and denial of responsibility influenced the decision, along with concerns about her moderate risk of reoffending.
While accepting that Birchall suffered significant childhood abuse and has post-traumatic stress disorder, which may complicate her time in custody, the judge sentenced her to 27 years in prison with a non-parole period of 20 years.
Birchall has already served nearly four years behind bars.
Source: 9News.
