Alleged killer giggled, Vic court told

A woman accused of killing her lover in Melbourne 13 years ago giggled and said "he won't come back" after his disappearance, the man's sister-in-law claims.

The accused woman, who can't be named for legal reasons, is standing trial in the Supreme Court of Victoria for the man's murder on May 3, 2005.

She had allegedly complained to friends and lovers about him, claiming he was controlling, violent, had drugged and raped her, raped her dog and locked her in their Reservoir home.

On Monday, the man's sister-in-law said she visited the woman after the man's disappearance.

"I said I was expecting (the man) to walk in the door any minute and say, 'What are you doing here?'" she said.

The sister-in-law said the accused woman and her closest friend looked at each other and giggled.

"(The woman) said, 'That's not going to happen, he won't come back'.

"I felt very uncomfortable."

The sister-in-law said she attended Preston police station along with the woman and dead man's son in May 2005 to make a media appeal for information.

She said the accused woman's demeanour "changed totally" from "relaxed and very upbeat" to "very sad, very upset and looking very concerned" in front of the camera.

Defence barrister John Kelly SC questioned why the sister-in-law did not tell police earlier about the woman's "disturbing" comment.

"I probably thought deep down it wasn't relevant. It wasn't until much later that I realised how relevant it was," she replied.

Mr Kelly challenged the woman, saying she "made the conversation up".

"Absolutely not. Fact," she replied.

On Monday, the man's son told the court he heard "heated" arguments between the couple from time-to-time, but said it was just "part of relationships".

The son, who was 16 when his father went missing, also told the court he'd heard his dad engaged in a "slanging match" with another person before he disappeared.

Prosecutors claim the woman accused of the man's murder bragged to others about having killed him, telling one person she slit his throat during sex and "it was the best orgasm I ever had".

She allegedly told another person she laced his pepper steak with sleeping tablets then bludgeoned him to death as he slept on the couch.

The trial before Justice Jane Dixon continues on Tuesday.