A woman allegedly drowned in a bathtub by her fiance had planned to leave him and marry another man, a Melbourne court has been told.
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Murat Davsanoglu has been charged with killing 34-year-old mother Ozlem Karakoc by using his full body weight to drown her while the pair was in the bath on July 14.
Davsanoglu allegedly previously claimed the pair had a "suicide pact".
However, during a pre-trial committal hearing for Davsanoglu on Tuesday, close friend Anne Heslop said Ms Karakoc was scared of Davsanoglu.
"She was becoming very scared of this man due to being hassled by him. He kept annoying her, wouldn't leave her alone," Ms Heslop told Melbourne Magistrates Court.
"She'd changed her mind and she didn't want to marry him anymore and there was another man involved who she wished to marry instead."
Ms Heslop told the court Davsanoglu had arranged a wedding dress for Ms Karakoc to wear.
"Our advice to her was not to let Murat know where she was living," she said.
"I had urged Ozlem to pack her few bags and bring herself and her daughter back to my place where she felt safe."
After her death, Davsanoglu allegedly put Ms Karakoc's body in the boot of his Ford Falcon and drove toward Mildura, where he planned to dump her body.
However, police claim he instead returned to Melbourne and placed Ms Karakoc's body, wrapped in a blanket, in an empty garage at a home in the suburb of Lalor.
The hearing continues.
Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467.
MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78.
Australian Associated Press
