Man who stabbed partner multiple times in head and neck to death, burned her body jailed for 24 years; WA Supreme Court judge condemns ‘relentless and brutal’ attack

The Supreme Court of Western Australia has ordered a minimum sentence of 24 years for a man who brutally stabbed his partner to death and burned her body following an argument over drugs, money and another woman. The convicted man, identified as Luke Hanif Sekkouah, pleaded guilty in the court to Erica Hay's murder in Perth's southern suburbs in April 2024, according to 9News.

The 37-year-old was sentenced on Friday (March 20, 2026) to life imprisonment, with a non-parole period of 24 years. Covered in tattoos, Sekkouah, a mechanical fitter, sat motionless in court.

Dubbing the attack "sustained, relentless and brutal", Justice Natalie Whitby during the sentence hearing in the WA Supreme Court noted that Sekkouah stabbed Hay in the head, neck and body, piercing her heart, liver and lungs. "She could not defend herself against your rage, and you were armed with a deadly weapon," 9News quoted her as saying.


The court was told that one of Hay's daughters was in the home during the attack and might have seen her dead mother lying on the floor. "After you repeatedly stabbed her and she had fallen and hit her head, you continued to stab her," Justice Whitby said. "Erica was defenceless against your violence. Her “injuries were horrific", she added.

Hay was a mother, daughter, sister and a friend, Justice Whitby said. "No term of imprisonment can measure the value of her life, she had so much life ahead of her," she further stated.

How Sekkouah carried out the killing

Sekkouah left his home to buy a six-pack of beer from a nearby liquor store. On his way back, he reportedly stole a bottle of turpentine from an IGA supermarket before returning home. He poured it on Hay and some furniture and ignited it during the early hours of the next morning.

"Your intention to incinerate Erica's body after you had killed her was a vile and degrading act," Justice Whitby said, as quoted by 9News. "This attempt to cover up was deliberate and planned. "Your offending is the most extreme form of domestic violence."

Sekkouah then scooped up Hay's daughter and ran from the house to a neighbour's home and asked them to call emergency services. He told police he was sleeping in the house when it filled with smoke, and he ran out after grabbing Hay's daughter. Firefighters found Hay's partially burned body lying in a hallway.

How Sekkouah came under suspicion

The suspicion fell on Sekkouah after detectives learned that he had not suffered from smoke inhalation and they saw Hay's 23 injuries, as reported by 9News. Sekkouah initially fought the murder charge, pleading guilty on the first day of a trial.