A close friend of murdered Melbourne woman Joanne Howell says she always believed the 51-year-old was killed by her former partner.
Joanne Howell was brutally assaulted and strangled in her home at Hughesdale, in Melbourne's southeast, in April 2007.
Ms Howell's former partner, 67-year-old Paul Charlton, on Tuesday faced Melbourne Magistrates Court charged with her murder.
"He was the only one there ... I believe they were at home together that evening," Ms Howell's friend Claire Bamber told the court about the night her friend was killed.
"Joanne was a very sweet, conservative woman who had a small network of friends - I don't believe there was anyone who had any issues with her who would want to hurt her.
"We thought Paul was (responsible), we all did."
Ms Bamber said Ms Howell had an "up-and-down" relationship with Charlton and that her friend told he had anger management problems and "needed to see someone".
"One minute they were in love and the next minute they were fighting and there were blood noses," Ms Bamber said.
"She was feeling a little uncomfortable about being on her own (with him)."
Another friend, Ros McDonald, said that during their last ever phone call together Ms Howell told her Charlton had been an "absolute prick", but wouldn't expand on specifically what he did.
Charlton was arrested at his home in Casterton, in western Victoria, in January last year.
His arrest came a week after police launched a fresh appeal for information, describing Ms Howell's death as a solvable crime.
Investigators said they had been told plenty of stories over the years, but hoped someone with the real story would come forward.
They had received fresh information in the past 12 months which allowed them to narrow Ms Howell's time of death to 15 minutes either side of 9.15pm.
Ms Howell was found severely injured in her apartment about 11.20pm.
Police and paramedics tried to save her, but she died at the scene.
Coroner Paresa Spanos said in her 2011 findings that on the day she died, Ms Howell had given Charlton a month to leave their home and asked him to move out of their bedroom immediately.
Charlton was the last known person to see Ms Howell alive, and said he was out walking their dog for two hours before returning to find her injured.
The coroner found it was "highly improbable" that an unknown person had inflicted Ms Howell's fatal injuries.
Charlton did not speak during his committal hearing on Tuesday aside from acknowledging he had been bailed on remand to reappear before the court on Wednesday.
