A man charged with the gruesome stabbing murder of a young graduate has taken a step closer to avoiding a jail sentence after obtaining a 'second opinion' that has deemed him mentally unfit to stand trial.
Luay Nader Sako, 36, of Roxburgh Park, last year pleaded not guilty to the brutal stabbing murder of Celeste Manno in anticipation of securing an assessment from a forensic psychiatrist that supported an assertion he was not capable of committing the crime due to his poor mental health.
Daily Mail Australia revealed in October the alleged killer's first attempt failed after a doctor made an 'inconclusive assessment' of his mental state.
Celeste Manno, 23, was allegedly murdered in her Melbourne home in November 2020
Luay Sako, 35, handed himself in to local police hours after Ms Manno's death and was taken to hospital under police guard, and was charged with murder
Celeste Manno had been in the prime of life when she was stabbed to death in her own bed
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne heard Sako had succeeded in his bid for a more conclusive medical option after high-profile forensic psychiatrist Dr Andrew Carroll came to his rescue.
In a 30-page report, Dr Carroll found Sako was not only unfit to stand trial over the alleged murder, but would remain that way for at least the next year.
The court heard the psychiatrist, who examined the fitness of Bourke Street killer James 'Dimitrious' Gargasoulas, claimed Sako's was a 'complicated situation'.
Crown prosecutor Patrick Bourke was unable to say whether Dr Carroll's claims would be contested, but suggested it would likely seek yet another opinion of its own.
If contested, the matter could go to trial to assess whether a jury agreed with the diagnosis.
If agreed by the Crown, Sako will be placed into a mental health facility until he is deemed well enough by forensic doctors to be released back into the community.
Many killers dealt with this way are released back into the community in secret within years.
The assessment will come as a cruel blow to the family of Ms Manno.
Sako allegedly smashed through his former colleague's window at her family home in Mernda, in Melbourne's northeast, before repeatedly stabbing her with a knife as she lay in bed in November 2020.
He then allegedly fled over a fence that was left stained with blood.
Sako handed himself in to local police hours later and was taken to hospital under police guard and treated for a hand injury that required surgery.
Ms Manno was Sako's team leader at a Serco call centre before he was fired from the role
Heartbroken mum Aggie Di Mauro pictured with her beloved daughter
