The murderer described by a judge as his victim's "drinking chum" has been sentenced to 20 years in jail.
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In sentencing Darcy McNamara in the Supreme Court on Thursday, Justice Michael Croucher said the victim, Wangaratta man Nathan Day, "met a tragic and grisly end" when his throat was cut with a sharp implement on July 26, 2018.
McNamara, 44, will be eligible for parole after 14 years.
Dunn, who will be sentenced in court on Monday, has told a different version of events - and pleaded guilty to assisting McNamara kill Mr Day.
Justice Croucher explained that the law allowed the Crown to accept both men blaming the other for the crime.
While the truth will never be completely clear, Justice Croucher told the court of what he did know happened to Mr Day, when he was killed while standing at the foot of the bed in McNamara's Ryan Avenue home.
"He bled so heavily that the room was saturated in places and blood was splattered against a chest of drawers," he said.
"Sadly he died then and there - he was only 35.
"With little ceremony and even less dignity, although Mr McNamara did say a prayer for him, he was buried in a shallow grave in the side garden of the unit."
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Police found Mr Day's body six weeks later.
"A person's life has been taken in brutal and murderous circumstances," Justice Croucher said.
"It is behaviour that must be punished justly and called out for what it is - namely a terrible thing to do to another human being."
McNamara, Dunn and Mr Day had a history of drinking together, but also arguing, fighting and damaging each other's property.
"This was a case of drunken aggression that got very much out of hand and turned so nasty as to result in murder," Justice Croucher said.
"There's no evidence of any planning ... Mr McNamara's part in it appears to have been spontaneous in its commission."
In a victim impact statement tendered to the court, Mr Day's mother remembered him as a boy "with a cheeky grin" who loved animals, but who struggled with drugs and alcohol as he got older.
"It pains her that she never got to say goodbye," Justice Croucher said.
He accepted that McNamara's childhood exposure to extreme violence explained why he turned to violence when frustrated and that he is now "genuinely saddened by and remorseful for the great harm he has caused".
But the judge said a substantial term of imprisonment was still required.
"It was a difficult case, which in my opinion, was settled in a sensible fashion," he said.
"I assume Mr Day's family are listening.
"Again I am sorry for your loss, it must be a terrible thing."
