A former McDonald's worker has been sentenced for bludgeoning a lonely widower to death using a Virgin Mary statue and a tin of mangoes in his Kew East home.

Katia Pyliotis, 37, was today sentenced to 19 years behind bars with a non-parole period of 15 years and six-months set by Supreme Court Justice Paul Coghlan.

A slew of legal bungles meant Katia Pyliotis faced trial four times for the murder of 69-year-old widower Elia Abdelmessih.

Katia Pyliotis spent close to three years in custody. (The Age) (The Age)

Abdelmessih was bashed to death with the statue and the tin of fruit on September 18, 2005, when Pyliotis was 23.

Justice Paul Coghlan acknowledged that Pyliotis had been in custody for almost three years, which he said was “abnormal”.

In his sentencing remarks, Justice Coghlan said Pyliotis had been “mistreated in custody” and had lived a “a somewhat tortured life,” which he’d taken into account.

The court heard that Pyliotis suffers from PTSD following a violent home invasion that left her with a number of stab wounds.

Mr Abdelmessih was newly widowed when he started dining at the Kew branch of McDonald's, sometimes several times a day, serenading the staff and showing "over-friendly" behaviour.

The two items Pyliotis to bludgeon the victim to death, leaving him face down in a bowl of water. (9News)

The exact reason why "unsophisticated and unworldly" Pyliotis killed her customer at his own home in a "frenzied attack" has never been revealed.

"His behaviour was unusual and to a degree over-friendly," Supreme Court of Victoria Justice Paul Coghlan said during sentencing.

"But there is no evidence of any dealing he had with you that was out of the ordinary."

Pyliotis left deposits of her own blood and DNA on a number of items in the house including at least one of the murder weapons.

In 2016, Pyliotis provided police with a saliva swab over a minor matter and her DNA was matched to the deadly crime scene. She was extradited to Victoria.

She pleaded not guilty to murder, but was convicted by a Supreme Court of Victoria jury in December.

TIMELINE – FROM WIDOWER TO MURDER VICTIM

2004: The wife of Melbourne man Elia Abdelmessih's dies.

2005: Mr Abdelmessih, who lives at East Kew, starts visiting a local McDonald's several times a day, serenading the staff and making inappropriate comments.

He visits an agency in Box Hill "providing Asian girls" but abandons the idea as "shonky". His house becomes a "pigsty" and he pays $20 for sex with Sue Reddie - a woman with an acquired brain injury who he meets outside a supermarket

September 2005: Mr Abdelmessih is found dead at home, face down in a bowl of water. He is dressed only in a shirt and underpants with a black glove. Nearby is a dented can of mangoes and a bloodied statue of the Virgin Mary

Elia Abdelmessih's was found dead at home, face down in a bowl of water. (The Age)

2012: Sue Reddie dies of natural causes

2016: Pyliotis is linked to the crime scene by her DNA when she gives a saliva sample to police after being caught driving an unregistered car in South Australia. She is extradited to Victoria

May 2017 : A Melbourne Magistrates Court hearing is told that a month before his death, Mr Abdelmessih spoke about a "crazy woman" who told him to stay away or she'd kill him

October 2017: Pyliotis, 35, faces a Supreme Court murder trial. Her legal team points a finger at Ms Reddie, but the jury is discharged. Another two juries are empanelled and discharged

December 2018: Pyliotis found guilty of murder by a fourth Supreme Court jury, prosecutors having been unable to provide a clear motive

April 2019: Pyliotis is sentenced to 19 years' imprisonment, with a non-parole period of 15- and-a-half years.