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Quadriplegic killer who stabbed girlfriend to death gets 15 years' jail

The quadriplegic man who brutally stabbed his on-off girlfriend five times in the neck in a jealous rage has been sentenced to 15 years for the "evil" murder.

Michael James Quinn was found guilty in September of murdering 25-year-old Cherie Vize in the front yard his family's Wollongong home in July 2013.

The 27-year-old then tried to kill himself, but failed, instead partially severing his spine and becoming a quadriplegic.

Murder victim Cherie Vize. Source: Facebook

"This case is a serious example of the infliction of extreme domestic violence upon women," Justice Robert Beech-Jones said in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday.

"The killing of a woman after the leaving of a relationship is a persistent evil.

"Michael Quinn viciously attacked the one person outside of his family who believed in him and loved him."

Ms Vize's mother and a supporter leave court on Friday. Source: AAP

Ms Vize, who had been going out with Quinn for about three years, had gone out for a cigarette at Quinn's home when she was attacked.

Quinn's mother Joanne spotted that her son was holding a 20cm kitchen knife and tried to intervene.

"I turned around and looked at Cherie and I saw that blood was pouring out from the side of her neck," she said during the judge-alone trial.

Killer Michael Quinn. Source: Vincent De Gouw

Earlier this year, the court heard Quinn had found a message on Ms Vize's phone about buying the morning-after pill when their relationship ended and she started seeing someone else.

In handing down the sentence, Justice Beech-Jones said Quinn's severe disabilities weighed heavily on his mind.

The judge said Quinn's testimony was "implausible" and "inconsistent" and he had not genuinely accepted responsibility for his actions.

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He acknowledged Quinn's obsessive compulsive disorder and borderline personality disorder but said they did not impair his mind enough to avoid a murder conviction.

Ms Vize's mother sobbed throughout the sentence, particularly as Justice Beech-Jones described the agony she must have felt as she and her husband took a taxi to the hospital to see their dying daughter.

At a court hearing in November, Ms Vize described her pain at losing her daughter.

Ms Vize at an earlier court hearing. Source: AAP

"Cherie was our only child, beautiful and loving in her own special way," her mother Evansueda Vize wrote in a victim impact statement.

"All our lives revolved around her, the only person that held our family close together.

"We miss her every day. We miss her joy, care and warmth that she brought into our lives. We miss her smile and her hugs. This is all gone forever.

"Her life was perfect until this heart-breaking incident happened."

Quinn will be housed in the hospital wing of Long Bay prison and will be eligible for parole in 2030.

Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467.