Michael James Quinn fatally stabbed his girlfriend before turning the knife on himself

'We are the diverse America who are alarmed': Embarrassment for VP-elect Mike Pence as Hamilton cast STOPS show to address him directly about their fears - after audience BOOED him throughout
'It made us cry some more': Gold Star family of soldier killed by suicide bomber during Veterans Day run get BOOED by American Airlines first class for delaying flight on the way to pick up their dead son's body
Ex-Survivor star Michael Skupin is convicted of possessing child pornography after police find images of 'underage children in sexual situations' on his laptop
Congressman's 15-year-old grandson is shot dead over an argument about GYM SHOES during teen home invasion
'That's power': Trump-whisperer and 'economic nationalist' Steve Bannon revels in liberals and the media calling him Darth Vader and Satan saying they 'have no f***ing idea what's going on'
Electoral College voters across the country are being harassed by Clinton supporters against voting for Trump
Horror scenes as 23 students are injured when Tennessee school bus flips and crashes off interstate
Four people presumed dead after a medical transport plane carrying a heart patient crashed into a Nevada parking lot
The top doctor who swears he saw a glimpse of hell: No-nonsense anaesthetist dismissed patients who said they'd had out-of-body experiences until HE went under the knife
Fugitive suspected of murdering his wife before abandoning his daughter, five, at the Port Authority is caught walking down Brooklyn street
'He was able to do whatever he wanted': Girl, 13, speaks out after being sexually assaulted on a plane for 30 minutes by 'drunk' stranger sitting next to her
Frozen and flown to US by a bunch of 'Dad's Army' amateurs: The journey of a terminally-ill schoolgirl from London to a bleak industrial estate in Michigan
White Alabama officer, 23, is indicted on murder charges in fatal shooting of an unarmed black man who was 'hit with a stun gun, beaten with a baton and shot five times'
Only son of late D.C. mayor Marion Barry died of an accidental PCP overdose at age 36, autopsy reveals
NASA astronaut, 56, becomes the oldest woman in space after rocketing off to the International Space Station
Lonely tiger taken from the world's worst zoo is purring in his new South African enclosure 1,000 times the size of the 'hellhole' Gaza cage where he lived among the bleached bones of dead animals
Arrested in their designer loafers: Nephews of Venezuela's First Lady face life in prison after trying to smuggle 2,000 pounds of cocaine into the US
EXCLUSIVE: Can't let go of the high life! Former Gakwer CEO Nick Denton still gives his husband a $1,550 monthly allowance and spends nearly $2,400 on clothes and food despite filing for bankruptcy following Hulk Hogan lawsuit
Three fighter jets INTERCEPT Putin's presidential plane and escort it out of Swiss skies amid fears of a mid-air crash
F-35 crisis as Pentagon's top weapon testing official warns plan to put unfinished $400bn fighters into service puts pilots at 'significant risk'
Angelina Jolie returns to the spotlight for the first time after bitter divorce to campaign for children at the International Criminal Court
Shock after beloved teacher and transgender activist, 61, is charged with stabbing and shooting to death lesbian couple and their teenage son before setting their home on fire
EXCLUSIVE: 'Becky with the good hair' is KRIS JENNER, claims Beyoncé's hairstylist who adds the lyric has nothing to do with romance - but Solange's elevator attack on Jay-Z was 'straight up' over another woman
Whose houses are these? They're some of the most recognisable homes on TV - but can you name the show just by looking at the FLOORPLAN?

Michael James Quinn, 27, brutally murderered his girlfriend Cherie Vize
Quinn stabbed her in neck before turning knife on himself in 2013
He flew into a rage after upon learning Vize slept with another man
In the 11 days before the murder Quinn phoned her 227 times
Lawyer said he dealt greater punishment to himself than any court could

By Nelson Groom for Daily Mail Australia and Australian Associated Press

Published: 06:02 EST, 18 November 2016 | Updated: 06:17 EST, 18 November 2016

e-mail

View
comments

A man who was left a paraplegic after fatally stabbing his on-off girlfriend before turning the knife on himself has dealt greater punishment to himself than any court could, his lawyer says.

Michael James Quinn, 27, brutally stabbed Cherie Vize, 25, five times in the neck with a small paring knife during a fit of jealous rage on the front yard of his family's Wollongong home in NSW, July 2013.

After leaving her for dead, Quinn turned the knife on himself, stabbing himself twice in the chest and once in the neck, which left him a quadriplegic.

On Friday, during Quinn's sentence hearing in the NSW Supreme Court, his defence barrister Janet Manuell said her client would be 'imprisoned' within his body for the rest of his life.

Michael James Quinn (pictured) stabbed his girlfriend five times in the neck during a fit of jealous rage has been left a quadriplegic after he turned the knife on himself

The court heard Cherie Vize had a 'perfect' life before her relationship with Quinn

The court heard Cherie Vize had a 'perfect' life before her relationship with Quinn, and her proud parents hoped their only child would one day be well-known for her art.

In September, the 27-year-old was found guilty of Ms Vize's murder, which took place after he saw a message on her phone about buying the morning-after pill when their relationship ended and she started seeing someone else.

Ms Vize's family has been devastated by her savage murder, and a family representative told how their future has been destroyed and lives shattered.

'Cherie was our only child, beautiful and loving in her own special way,' her mother Evansueda Vize wrote in a victim impact statement.

'All our lives revolved around her, the only person that held our family close together.

'We miss her every day. We miss her joy, care and warmth that she brought into our lives. We miss her smile and her hugs. This is all gone forever.'

Quinn flew into a rage after upon learning Vize slept with another man

Ms Vize's family has been devastated by her savage murder, and a family representative told how their future has been destroyed and lives shattered

In the 11 days before the murder Quinn, an obsessive compulsive order sufferer, who used to frequently shower and scrub his legs, phoned her 227 times.

The Vize family have been left without the chance to pamper and love grandchildren they had hoped for, and the daughter they knew would take care of them as they aged.

Evansueda Vize said it was 'unfortunate' her daughter had met Quinn.

'She was a young talented woman with a great future waiting for her,' the court heard.

'Her life was perfect until this heart-breaking incident happened.'

The Vize family hoped their only child would one day be well-known for her art

She was beautiful and loving, and the parents had hoped her art would one day lead to her being well-known.

Quinn, who the court heard has offended four times while in custody, wrote a letter in which he says he wishes he had 'not done this'.

'There is no way to process such an irredeemable offence, of taking a life,' he said in his self-described 'letter of remorse'.

'I have taken away possibility, the possibility of motherhood, the possibility of a satisfying and meaningful career, the possibility of grandchildren, the possibility of a full and happy life.'

Throughout his judge-alone trial, Quinn denied murdering Ms Vize and told the court she had been injured while trying to stop him from hurting himself.

Justice Robert Beech-Jones is due to sentence Quinn on December 2.

Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14