“Her Christmas trees were beautiful every year. She always made a big fuss for her kids’ birthdays,” the friend said.
“She was such a family person, just invested in her kids, her nephews, everyone around her. She was always present at everything.”
Another family friend, who also wished to remain anonymous, said Apostolopoulos “loved her kids more than love itself”.
“Vicky was the best woman. A positive, kind gentle soul,” the family friend said.
“Everyone loves Vicky. Vicky will be missed terribly.”
Vicky Apostolopoulos’ friends say they are heartbroken.Credit: Facebook
The 51-year-old made an impression on her colleagues at Australia Post in Bayswater, where she last worked about a year ago. She kept in touch after she left.
One former colleague said Apostolopoulos’ death was “absolutely heartbreaking”.
“Such a tragic loss of an absolutely beautiful lady,” the former colleague said.
On Saturday, Senior Sergeant Chris Ellway said the neighbours were known to each other but were not in a relationship, and Apostolopoulos’ death was not being treated as a family violence incident.
He said the exact circumstances were still being investigated, but police believed the woman was attacked after opening her door to the alleged offender.
“We’re still piecing together everything that’s happened, but it appears as though the [alleged] offender has gone to the victim’s house, and she’s opened the door, and then she’s been assaulted and subsequently died from her injuries,” Ellway said.
Pezhman Mohtari said he was renovating a house nearby in Cousin Drive when he saw a boy screaming and running across the road.
He said a man came out of a house and grabbed the teenage boy, dragging him back inside.
“I was really shocked and then the police came and I heard about [the woman inside],” Mohtari said.
Zaric fronted Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Sunday, charged with murder. He was remanded in custody to face court again in February.
For those who knew Apostolopoulos, her death was a shocking loss.
“You just can’t imagine how it could happen to such a normal family,” her friend said.
With Sherryn Groch
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