Melbourne murder accused 'harassed' victim

The last day Melbourne woman Ozlem Karakoc was seen alive, she was happy and looking forward to starting a new life with her fiance.

But instead of getting married, it's alleged the 34-year-old's former lover Murat Davsanoglu drowned her in a bathtub.

However, 43-year-old Davsanoglu claims he and Ms Karakoc made a pact to take their own lives and is guilty only of manslaughter, not murder.

Ms Karakoc was happy the day before she vanished and talked to her fiance, Ozden Gonullu, on the phone, her former sister-in-law told a Supreme Court jury on Wednesday.

"When I arrived (at the house) she was quite happy right from when she opened the door. She had a phone in her hand actually," Hayriye Ozerkan said, through a Turkish interpreter.

She said her friend had been speaking and Snapchatting with Mr Gonullu the entire time she was at the house.

"She wanted to marry (him), start a new life together and she actually invited him for a meal the next day ... but it wasn't to be," Ms Ozerkan said.

However, under cross examination Ms Ozerkan also said the victim was taking psychiatric medication and had been hospitalised in the months before she died.

A friend of Ms Karakoc said she told him a man named "Murat" was harassing her in the lead up to her disappearance in July 2017.

"A person named Murat was intimidating her," Mehmet Incekli said on Wednesday, through an interpreter.

"He was stalking, following her and she was uncomfortable with his behaviour towards her."

The prosecution previously told the jury Davsanoglu drowned Ms Karakoc, drove the body to South Australia and returned, placing her body in a suburban garage before handing himself in to police.

Forensic doctor Morris Odell told the court Davsanoglu had "superficial" wounds to the back of his hands and a cut to his wrist likely made by a sharp object.

Dr Odell said the wrist injury could have been self-inflicted.

Defence barrister John Desmond earlier described the killing as a "tragic case" involving "two people who are in love" who saw no way out of their situation other than to kill themselves.

If Davsanoglu can prove to a Supreme Court jury his actions were part of a suicide pact, rather than murder, he can be found guilty of the lesser crime of manslaughter.

The trial continues on Friday.

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