The daughter of a woman killed in a savage rampage by an “evil monster” has demanded justice.

Lindy “Kimmy” Lucena, 64, was in a volatile relationship with Robert Karl Huber, 69, for five years before he killed her on January 3, 2023. 

The couple had been residing in the courtyard behind a Salvation Army store in Ballina, located in the NSW Northern Rivers region, after losing their home due to the 2022 floods.

Upon returning from the pub, Huber launched a vicious attack on his partner, which experts concluded was a prolonged assault, leaving her severely injured and bruised.

Lucena’s daughter broke down in tears as she recalled how she barely recognised her mother’s body because of the extensive injuries.

“What kept me going was knowing how terrified and vulnerable she must have felt in those final moments, or any other time she was harmed by this monster,” she told the NSW Supreme Court today.

The woman, who does not want to be identified, said she understood that losing loved ones was a natural part of life.

But that was not true of the “life-shattering” loss of her mother.

“Not everyone loses their mum at the hands of pure evil manifested,” she said through tears. 

“Not everyone loses their mum to an unbelievably savage rampage of an assault that leaves her body broken and defenceless.”

Huber is awaiting sentencing after being found guilty of Lucena’s manslaughter, having been acquitted of murder in a judge-alone trial in July.

He also pleaded guilty to assaulting her on Boxing Day 2022, leaving her with a black eye. 

Her daughter described Lucena as “the bravest person I have ever known” but noted she was “crippled by coercive control and assaults” throughout her lengthy relationship with her attacker.

“My mum was not only stolen from me but she was stolen from (our family) and that is something I will never forgive,” the woman told the court.

“I want justice for my mum, who completely encapsulated joy.”

She criticized bail laws for allowing domestic violence offenders to be given “the benefit of the doubt when women are dying at an unprecedented rate,” as well as the response from NSW Police.

“I demand accountability for my mum due to the catastrophic lack of urgency and concern by NSW Police when the triple-zero call was made identifying my mum being attacked by a man,” the woman stated.

Police took almost an hour to respond after having difficulties locating the scene and, once there, the responding officer didn’t leave his car to investigate. 

NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley told the ABC in July that it would be appropriate for a coroner to examine Lucena’s death and the NSW Police response. 

A spokesperson for the NSW Coroners Court said any information about a possible inquest would be made public after the conclusion of the criminal proceedings. 

Lucena’s daughter urged Justice Stephen Rothman to impose a lengthy sentence on Huber for the “immense pain” and “immeasurable destruction” he caused by killing her mother.

The judge found the 64-year-old did not die from the wounds caused by Huber but the brutal assault combined with blocked arteries may have started an abnormal heartbeat that proved fatal.

Huber had not intended to commit injuries so serious that they elevated the killing from manslaughter to murder, Rothman determined.

The sentencing hearing continues.