A man who killed Cambodian refugee Ranny Yun in her suburban Melbourne home more than three decades ago will spend at least 17 years in jail.
Meth Mean was sentenced in the Supreme Court on Friday to a maximum of 23 years behind bars after he was found guilty of the October 1987 cold-case murder of Ranny Yun.
The 27-year-old woman was sexually assaulted, stabbed multiple times and had her throat cut.
In 2017, police matched Mean's DNA with semen found on her body.
Mean, now aged in his late 40s or early 50s, denies killing the young woman.
His age has been disputed as he does not have a birth certificate since fleeing Cambodia with his family as a child.
Rada Yun discovered her older cousin dead in her sewing room, naked from the waist down, with severe head injuries. A knife was found next to her
"She said that Ranny was like a sister to her and she felt she was left alone after Ranny died," Justice Dixon said of the murder's impact upon Rada Yun.
Mean, who was a trusted member of the victim's extended family, hit Ms Yun in the back of the head with a piece of wood which split into two.
He hid the wood under a mattress in the home and then remained silent for 30 years, Justice Dixon said.
"The crime of murder is intrinsically grave. You robbed Ranny Yun of the precious gift of life," she said.
The reason, if any, for the attack is not known.
Unlike Ms Yun, Mean had been able to go on with his life without any consequence for three decades but was now facing the music, Justice Dixon said.
"The fact remains that you have been able to raise a family and become a grandparent free of any curial consequences until now," she said.
But for Ms Yun, who escaped civil war, it was a tragic end to her new life.
"Ranny Yun was a person with a bright future and a strong work ethic who contributed to the welfare of family members," Justice Dixon said.
"Having escaped civil war in Cambodia, it is tragic that Ranny's life was ended by you at a time when she was still adapting to her new life in her home in Springvale.
"She was murdered in a place where she was entitled to feel safe."
Mean has already served 709 days in prison.
Australian Associated Press
