In the moments before Vittorio Stefanato shot a defenceless woman in the head, he told her: "I'm going over there to the shed, I get the gun, and if you're still here, I shoot you".
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Stefanato shot Christine Neilan near his Lightning Ridge tourist attraction Amigo's Castle in January 2020, telling police he was "under stress" from several locals who were regularly asking him for money.
The 75-year-old pleaded guilty to Ms Neilan's murder and was on Friday sentenced to at least 13 years and seven months' jail. NSW Supreme Court judge, Justice Robert Allan Hulme, described his actions as callous, senseless and brutal.
The judge said the grief of Ms Neilan's four children, her grandchildren, sisters and mother was "enormous", as she was a comforting source of love and support.
According to an agreed set of facts, Ms Neilan was with another woman at Stefanato's property on the morning of January 8 and both asked him for money.
He put $100 on the table, but Ms Neilan asked for more when the other woman took all the cash. Stefanato refused and told her to leave, saying he was going to the shed to get his gun.
As Ms Neilan stood up, he shot her with a .22 calibre rifle, then moved her body to his garage and covered it in carpet underlay.
He then drank several glasses of wine and took a nap, before going to the town's bank and bowling club in an attempt to create an alibi.
That night he moved her body outside his fence, where it was found the next morning.
Stefanato denied any involvement for more than 18 months, but eventually confessed on October 18, 2021, telling police he was fed up with being asked for money.
He told detectives: "It happened to probably the wrong woman ... because she didn't deserve to be killed."
The court heard Stefanato had an uneventful childhood in Italy before moving to Australia, where he built a castle in the opal mining town to combat bouts of sadness over never having a family.
Justice Hulme acknowledged Stefanato's delayed expressions of remorse, his early guilty plea and his advanced age, but said his stress and anger was no excuse to commit murder.
"Intentionally killing a defenceless woman by shooting her in the head at close range is an extraordinarily callous and gravely serious act of murder," Justice Hulme told the court, sitting in Dubbo.
"It was a senseless yet brutal thing to do."
The judge set a maximum term of 18 years and two months. Stefanato will be eligible for parole in May 2035.
Australian Associated Press
