Ricardo Barbaro is accused of murdering his girlfriend Ellie Price in a violent knife attack in her South Melbourne apartment in April 2020.
But it's the relationship between Ms Price and her close friend and wealthy benefactor, Mark Gray, that has been the focus of a trial about her death.
Jurors have heard Mr Gray, a brothel-owning accountant 31 years Ms Price's senior, paid for her apartments, a Mercedes sports car and expenses including plastic surgery after meeting the exotic dancer at a gentleman's club in 2017.
Text messages sent between Mr Gray and Ms Price's sister, Danielle Price, after her death reveal he tried to coach her in evidence she gave at a hearing to determine if Barbaro would stand trial.
She gave evidence she didn't know Mr Gray was involved in brothels, despite him previously telling her he was the "biggest owner of brothels in the world".
Under questioning by Barbaro's lawyer, Rishi Nathwani, she also admitted lying at the committal and also not telling the truth when giving the same evidence in an aborted trial for Barbaro in May this year.
"I was so upset and I've never done anything like this before," Ms Price said.
In November 2020 Mr Gray texted her to say lawyers would paint her sister as a totally irresponsible person with mental health and drug issues, involved in prostitution.
"They'll say horrible things about Ellie, almost suggesting she deserved it," he wrote.
He said they would practise before she gave evidence and she would be fine after they had time to prepare.
He also expressed concerns he would be portrayed as part of a seedy underground and it would be reported in the media.
"They will love this brothel owner extortion murder," he said, in reference to Ellie Price's extortion of $25,000 from him over a false rape allegation.
"This will be so embarrassing," Mr Gray wrote.
Mr Gray also said prosecutors would suggest he hired a hitman to kill Ellie Price because of the extortion.
Danielle Price agreed that at one point Mr Gray said he new some of the "meanest people in Melbourne" who could sort out people like Ricardo Barbaro.
Ms Price said she didn't know what to say to Mr Gray, that she didn't take notice of half the stuff he sent and she didn't want to be nasty by asking him to stop messaging her.
"He done a lot for us and I don't know, I shouldn't have done it," she said.
Both Ms Price and her mother, Tracey Gangell, said contact with Mr Gray went from near daily for a year before the committal to nothing in the two years since.
Ms Gangell said he asked for time to heal and get his head straight.
The trial is continuing.
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