Woman Killed After Ex-Colleague-Turned-Stalker Stabs Her 23 Times While Her Mother Slept In The Next Room

A young woman who endured more than a year of relentless stalking was brutally murdered in her sleep after her former colleague broke into her bedroom and stabbed her 23 times, while her mother slept in the next room.

Celeste Manno, 23, was killed in the early hours of 16 November 2020 at her family home in Melbourne by Luay Sako, a man she had worked with briefly at a call centre before he became fixated on her. The attack lasted just two minutes and 39 seconds before Sako fled the scene.

A Fatal Attack in the Early Hours

While Celeste and her mother Aggie Di Mauro were asleep, Sako jumped a fence into the garden, smashed Celeste's bedroom window with a hammer and attacked her with a large kitchen knife. She was stabbed repeatedly as she slept.

Aggie awoke moments later to the sound of breaking glass and ran down the hallway, cutting her feet on shattered glass as she called out to her daughter. Paramedics were unable to save Celeste, and police later confirmed she had died at the scene.

A Brief Working Relationship Turned Obsession

Celeste and Sako had worked together for only a few months in 2019 at a Melbourne call centre. Shortly after Sako was dismissed from the job, he contacted Celeste on Instagram.

Initially polite, the messages quickly escalated into obsessive declarations of love. According to The Sun, the contact intensified rapidly, with Sako sending repeated messages despite Celeste making it clear the attention was unwanted.

According to Aggie, the messages described Sako's inability to eat, sleep or function without Celeste. Despite her kindness early on, Celeste made it clear she did not welcome the attention.

Relentless Harassment Despite Rejections

Celeste repeatedly asked Sako to stop contacting her and blocked him on social media, but he persisted by creating new Instagram accounts to continue sending messages. Her boyfriend Chris Ridsdale later described how the harassment affected her sleep, mental health and sense of safety.

Over time, Sako's behaviour escalated. He was spotted parked outside her workplace, tracked her movements online and discovered where she lived. Messages became increasingly vulgar and unsettling.

Police Reports and a Failed Intervention Order

After six months of harassment, Celeste and her mother reported Sako to police but were initially told no crime had been committed. When the stalking continued, they returned to police and Sako was served with a Personal Safety Intervention Order intended to stop him contacting Celeste.

The order did not bring reassurance. Aggie later said she warned her daughter that the document was 'just a piece of paper'. Her fears proved justified when Sako continued to contact Celeste, sending a lengthy message urging her to withdraw the order.

Planning the Murder

In the weeks before the attack, Sako tracked Celeste's movements through her social media posts and followed her car, allowing him to identify not only her house but her bedroom.

He purchased a knife and planned the attack approximately one month after the intervention order was issued.

Sentence and Public Reaction

Sako later pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 36 years in prison. He will be eligible for parole in 2050. The sentence sparked outrage from Celeste's family, who argued it failed to reflect the severity of the crime or the warning signs ignored beforehand.

Aggie has since spoken publicly about finding her daughter's body and the trauma of sleeping through the final minutes of her life, describing it as something she must live with forever.

A Case That Sparked Wider Debate

The killing of Celeste Manno has become a focal point in national discussions about stalking, coercive control and the effectiveness of intervention orders. Her family continues to call for stronger laws and earlier police action to prevent similar tragedies, highlighting how prolonged harassment can escalate into lethal violence.