Two South Australian men who killed a man in his home during an armed robbery blew kisses and laughed after being sentenced to at least 20 years in jail.
Rhys Heffernan, 25, and Michael John Stephens, 22, were both found guilty of murdering Edward Rzepnicki in the South Australian Supreme Court, ABC reported.
The 63-year-old victim was stabbed to death and bashed with a hammer in his Adelaide home after meeting the two men on his way home from the Woodville Hotel and inviting them in for a drink in August 2009.
He died from a 23cm chest wound where the knife penetrated his heart.
Justice Michael David said both men had served jail time and had extensive criminal records.
He said Heffernan had inflicted the fatal stab to Mr Rzepnicki's chest, while Stephens had beaten the victim with a hammer.
"Your victim was vulnerable and his intention was genuine to you in inviting you back to his house," Justice David told the pair.
Mr Rzepnicki's family cheered as the men were sentenced to life in prison with non-parole terms of two decades.
Hefferan responded to today’s sentence by laughing while Stephens blew a kiss.
Mr Rzepnicki's niece Samantha Jones said outside the court that the victim's family were not surprised by the murderers' reactions, Adelaide Now reported.
"We're used to it — through the trial they were pulling faces and things like that, for what they did, the type of people they are we expect them to act like that," Ms Jones said.
A person in the court yelled, "suffer, you cockroaches" to the men as they were led away.
Heffernan and Stephens are seeking to appeal their conviction.
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