An Adelaide man who strangled his partner while he was high on drugs has been sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole term of 20 years.
Michael Lyall Johnson, 45, pleaded guilty to murdering Deborah Balbi, 38, in their home at Maylands in Adelaide's eastern suburbs, in December 2012.
Police originally thought Ms Balbi had died from a drug overdose but after a lengthy investigation concluded her death was from strangulation.
Johnson was arrested and charged with murder in August 2015.
At first he denied the charge but changed his plea to guilty before trial.
The Supreme Court heard Johnson had a history of domestic violence against Ms Balbi and had been charged with assaulting her just over a year before her death.
The court heard in that incident Johnson had stabbed Ms Balbi twice in the back with a hunting knife and strangled her until she lost consciousness.
Woman was 'going off'
On the night of the murder, a neighbour heard the couple arguing loudly and Ms Balbi yelling "stop" before a loud scream and then silence.
The court heard Johnson ran out of their apartment and was heard "wailing loudly" on the stairs.
Justice David Peek said Johnson phoned police but did not tell them what had occurred, only saying "my partner, please just come here now," before hanging up.
"You made a number of bizarre and unclear statements in relation to the deceased and her death," he said.
"You told a friend that the deceased was a gypsy and that she had special powers to be able to kill your family and she was evil."
The court heard Johnson later told police he had deliberately strangled Ms Balbi because she was "going off" at him and he could not cope with her screaming.
Justice Peek said the pair had both abused drugs over a long period, and on the night Ms Balbi died Johnson had apparently consumed "heaps of pills".
"Self-induced intoxication is not an excuse for murder," he said.
Justice Peek backdated Johnson's sentence to when he was taken into custody, making him eligible to seek parole in August 2035.
