'Not just another name': sisters honour woman killed by partner

A man told her: "Laura's dead. I killed her. She's gone, my baby's gone."

"And then dead silence, never an apology," the youngest sister told the ACT Supreme Court on Monday during a powerful victim impact statement.

The 40-year-old man who made that phone call, Christopher Roy Weaver, has pleaded guilty to charges of manslaughter and administering a declared substance.

Weaver, who has been in custody since his arrest mid-last year, admitted injecting his partner of seven years with an accidentally fatal heroin shot on August 19, 2021, the night of their anniversary.

The court heard allegations that, since the death, the offender had relentlessly harassed and threatened members of Ms Crncevic's family and never apologised for his actions.

"Laura is not just another name in a case in court," the youngest sister said, often pausing to cry, while facing the offender.

"Laura leaves behind a family who just want to see some justice."

The court heard impact statements, dozens of pages worth, from three of Ms Crncevic's sisters.

They described their sibling as vibrant, happy, a lover of animals, religious, humble, gracious, an emotional anchor, goofy, a social butterfly and a gifted cook.

"She was a beacon of light and a giver. She was a person who wanted peace in the world," the victim's second oldest sister said after holding up photos of Ms Crncevic.

"I just want you to understand who Laura was."

The court heard Ms Crncevic loved sunflowers, butterflies and wore a gold cross around her neck at all times.

But Justice Belinda Baker also heard the deceased woman had struggled with a long history of complicated health.

"Who introduces heroin into a situation where someone has had a double transplant?" the youngest sister said of Weaver.

"How can someone do something so heartless ... this is not the actions of someone who has your best interest at heart."

A third sister said Weaver had "exposed [Ms Crncevic] to a lifestyle of heavy drug use".

"He should have protected her and kept her safe," she said.

The court also heard a number of allegations made against Weaver.

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The three sisters claimed the man took control over Ms Crncevic's funeral arrangements, demanded payment from the family, and denied them any of the victim's personal belongings.

"Never even a 'sorry for your loss' at Laura's funeral," one of the women said.

One sister said she faced a "barrage of abusive messages" from Weaver.

Another shared texts said to be from the man, including "I'm bored, I want to ruin your life now", "a man who has lost everything is dangerous", and "you're never going to see the light of day again".

That woman said she watched on CCTV as Weaver defaced her home with paint and oil.

When Weaver entered his guilty pleas in October last year, appearing nonchalant about doing so, he told the court: "That's just what happens when you're a heroin addict.

"It was all an accident but yeah, guilty."

On Monday, the three sisters told the court Ms Crncevic was not a "junkie" and she "didn't deserve this to be the final chapter of her life".

"I hope the people here today can see Laura was not just another drug overdose," the youngest sister said.

"Laura's death was a tragedy that could have and should have been prevented."

One sister said Ms Crncevic's family and close friends knew what kind of person she was, despite the circumstances of her tragic death.

"Unfortunately, the wider public don't know and probably never will. Leaving a permanent stain to her name," the woman wrote in her statement.

Weaver's sentencing hearing was adjourned to next month to allow the prosecution to obtain an expert report from a psychiatrist.