A man who killed his ex-wife while she was in remission from cancer will spend at least 20 years behind bars.

Mehmed and Fatma Solmaz had been in an unhappy relationship for years, and continued to live in their Sunshine West home even after their divorce.

But it was an argument over a heater which triggered a fit of rage – Mehmed beating his ex-wife unconscious with a table leg, before strangling her with an electrical cord in May 2017.

Leaving her dead on the floor, the 62-year-old packed a suitcase and fled to Queensland, where he was arrested two days later.

Justice Andrew Tinney found while the murder was not planned, he proceeded with hatred and malevolence in his heart against a defenceless woman, describing the crime as the most extreme overreaction.

One of the couples two sons watched via videolink, as his father was jailed for 25 years.

He’ll be eligible for parole after 20 years.