The young man who murdered Melbourne legal studies student Laa Chol has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Key points: Ms Chol was stabbed during a brawl after a group of youths gatecrashed a party

Ms Chol was stabbed during a brawl after a group of youths gatecrashed a party The court was previously told the fight erupted when Ms Chol thought someone had stolen her phone

The court was previously told the fight erupted when Ms Chol thought someone had stolen her phone The 18-year-old man will serve a non-parole period of 15 years

Ms Chol, 19, died after being stabbed during a brawl with a group of young men outside a short-stay apartment in Melbourne's CBD in July 2018.

The 18-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had gatecrashed a party Ms Chol was having with her friends at the apartment.

The man's trial heard a fight broke out when Ms Chol thought one of them had stolen her mobile phone.

In sentencing, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Kaye described the man's crime as "a needless act of cowardly violence".

"You and your friends engaged in unacceptable and reprehensible acts of violence against a young woman," Justice Kaye said.

"You took the life of a decent and caring young woman."

Justice Kaye said Ms Chol was "to all intents and purposes … defenceless".

"Your actions, in stabbing her, were unprovoked and entirely needless," he told the man.

Ms Chol and her friends had rented an apartment in the EQ Tower, in Melbourne's CBD. ( Booking.com )

Ms Chol's friends thought she had had an asthma attack, until they noticed the blood coming from her chest.

"Your actions were utterly cowardly and callous," Justice Kaye said.

"You made no offer to assist her and you demonstrated an entire disregard for her wellbeing.

"Rather, you left the scene and in doing so disposed of the weapon which you had used to murder her."

Police never found the murder weapon.

Emotional families clash at court

There were emotional scenes inside the court after the verdict.

Members of both families clashed and had to be separated by security officers.

Outside court, Ms Chol's father Daniel Kunyrieth Chol said while others were celebrating Christmas, he would be grieving the loss of his daughter.

"Why would you kill another one at a party? She could have helped this country if she was alive," he said.

"She was at university studying law, she was a good girl.

"My girl will never come back."

Daniel Kunyrieth Chol was too sick to attend the trial, but was in court to see his daughter's killer sentenced. ( ABC News: Karen Percy )

During a plea hearing on December 9, friend Nunu Dau paid tribute to Ms Chol, who wanted to become a professional soccer player.

"When Laa came [in] to the room, there's a spark that lights up," she said.

Ms Chol's mother, Ojwanga Abalo, also submitted a statement which was read to the court at the earlier hearing.

"My world is empty without her in it," she said.

The man was found guilty of murder in September for inflicting a stab wound that penetrated 8.5 centimetres into Ms Chol's chest, piercing her heart.

He admitted to killing Ms Chol but his lawyer argued during his trial he had not intended to kill her, and the crime constituted manslaughter rather than murder.

The young man was born in Khartoum, Sudan, in 2001, arriving in Australia via Egypt in 2004 with his mother and five siblings.

His father died in the Sudanese civil war.

In Australia, the family struggled financially, and shared their home with an uncle of the young man, who had a drinking problem and often became aggressive.

As a teenager, the man started using drugs and went on to commit a number of offences, including aggravated burglary and assault, which led to stints in youth justice facilities.

"Your culpability — that is, the level of your moral guilt — for the offending, in which you engaged, could not be equated with that of a person who had the advantage of a normal, stable and regular home environment and upbringing," Justice Kaye said in sentencing.

The man will have to serve 15 years before he is eligible for parole.

Read Justice Stephen Kaye's full sentencing remarks:

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