THE abusive ex-boyfriend of a Melbourne woman whose body was found in a river asked "what if I've done something stupid?" upon hearing of her death, an inquest has been told.
The body of 27-year-old Lynette Phillips was found at Dights Falls in Abbotsford on March 3, 2007.
Her body had been wrapped in a blue quilt and was strapped to a backpack containing weights.
The body of the ex-boyfriend, champion skateboarder Ben Pappas, was found eight days later floating in the Yarra River.
The inquest at the Victorian Coroners Court heard today that an autopsy found her cause of death was a neck injury.
She had also suffered bruising to her jaw and slight bleeding on her brain.
Counsel assisting the coroner Sergeant Tracy Weir, told State Coroner Jennifer Coate that Ms Phillips' relationship with Pappas had been violent, with Ms Phillips using emergency accommodation to get away from him.
Both had been drug users and Ms Phillips had taken two restraining orders out on Pappas, one of which was in place at the time of her death.
Dominic Kekich, Pappas' friend of 17 years, said in a police statement read to the inquest that in the months before Ms Phillips' death he had loaned Pappas a blue quilt cover, identical to the one in which the body was wrapped.
Mr Kekich said that when Pappas told him of Ms Phillips' death, he had asked whether he had been acting differently lately.
"Ben started crying. He said that he couldn't believe what happened," Mr Kekich said in his statement.
Mr Kekich said Pappas later asked: "What if I've done something stupid because I can't remember anything before Tuesday."
"I can't remember anything from Tuesday night. The only thing I can remember is waking up on a bench in the city."
