The daughter of Karen Ristevski, the Melbourne mother who was murdered in June 2016, and Borce Ristevski, the man accused of killing his wife, has given evidence on the second day of a court hearing into the death.
22-year-old Sarah Ristevski was reportedly visibly emotional as she addressed the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court.
Though police have suspected Borce Ristevski since day one, Sarah has always defended her father’s innocence and remained loyal to him at the hearing.
Saying her parents fought every few weeks, Sarah revealed her father was “the calming influence” and “never demonstrative”.
“I didn’t grow up in a household where there was lots of arguing,” Sarah said, per News.com.au.
“Dad was a calming influence. Mum would get annoyed quickly. Dad was always the calm one, calming her down.”
When asked if the family was tight-knit, Ms Ristevski said they were “very, very close”.
49-year-old Karen Ristevski disappeared from her Avondale Heights home back on June 29, 2016. Her body had been found in dense Victorian bushland 65km north of Melbourne and 52km from where she was last seen in February of this year.
She was last seen alive by Borce Ristevski in her home of Melbourne’s north-west. Mr Ristevski told police his wife left the house around 10am after an argument over money.
The last thing Karen reportedly told her husband was, “I’m going to go and clear my head.”
In court, Sarah said her father was “extremely distressed” in the following days.
“He was extremely worried,” she said. “People who know him, knew he was distressed. He was very concerned about where my mum was.”
Sarah also said it was common for her mother to leave the house to be alone after an argument.
“It was one of her sayings. She liked to be alone,” she said.
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