A man who murdered his on-off girlfriend in a jealous rage before driving around with her body in his boot has learned his fate.
James Hachem, 37, will spend 24 years behind bars after being sentenced at Sydney Supreme Court for the murder of Samah Baker on Friday.
The 30-year-old was reported missing on January 5, 2019 after a friend dropped her off at her Parramatta home the previous day.
The court was told during an extensive trial last year that Hachem murdered Ms Baker inside her home after seeing her kiss another man.
Samah Baker’s body was never found despite a wide-spread police operation.
The south Sydney man then drove to McDonalds and went to a job interview while Ms Baker’s body remained in the boot of his car.
Pings from his phone revealed he travelled to Breadalbane, near Goulburn, for about three hours, where police suspect he dumped the body.
The TAFE worker’s body has never been recovered, despite widespread searches of bushland areas near Goulburn in 2019.
James Hachem was arrested in 2019 and charged with Ms Baker’s murder. Picture: Nine
Samah Baker, right, captured on CCTV shortly before her death. Picture: Supplied
The court heard the pair had known each other for about 15 years, and according to police were in an “intermittent intimate relationship”.
Jurors were told Hachem was the last person to see Ms Baker alive, and that the only explanation was that he was responsible for her death.
Police claimed Hachem tried to cover his tracks, texting Ms Baker after they had met that: “Last night was so good, slept like a baby.”
Detectives conducted a forensic search in bushland about 16km southwest of Goulburn as part of the investigation into the suspicious disappearance of Samah Baker. Picture: NSW Police
“You must be with your boyfriend and you can’t text. All good,” he wrote.
More Coverage
Woman carried dead mum’s head into street
Update after mum of four killed
Hachem has persistently denied any connection with Ms Baker’s death.
He will be eligible for parole from 2037.
Read related topics:Sydney