Rosemary Franzidis, 69, was returning home from morning Mass in Brisbane's north when her car was struck by a speeding vehicle driven by an unlicensed and drug-affected youth on November 7, 2024. Jean-Paul Franzidis paid tribute to his wife of almost 50 years in a moving victim impact statement delivered at the young man's sentencing for manslaughter in Brisbane Supreme Court on Wednesday.
"There is a big empty space in my life," he told the court. "Half of me is no more - and the better half by far."
But he kept his final words for the young man who took his wife's life.
"My wish is that the young man in the dock will find someone in his life that will choose him and love him as my wife personally loved me," Franzidis said to a stunned courtroom.
The driver, who was 16 at the time of the accident and had never held a licence, cannot be named. The now 18-year-old wept and shook during Franzidis' statement, and when details of the fatal injuries suffered by his wife were read to the court.
Justice Kerri Mellifont told the young man he was the beneficiary of the Franzidis family's generosity. "I hope you realise how fortunate you are that they have such a generous attitude," she told him, as the young man nodded.
The court heard the stolen car was being driven at more than 130km/h when it ploughed into Mrs Franzidis' vehicle as she entered an intersection on Dohles Rocks Rd in Murrumba Downs. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The young man had earlier pleaded guilty to a series of other offences, including unlawfully entering a home while pretending to be armed, assault, and threatening another person while claiming to be armed.