The early morning hours of November 16th, 2020 began like any other for Aggie Di Mauro. She tucked her 23-year-old daughter Celeste into bed, as she often still did despite her age. In just a few days, the family would be celebrating Celeste's upcoming birthday with her favorite coconut cake.
But the sound of shattering glass and gasping breaths pierced the quiet home. Rushing into Celeste's bedroom, Aggie discovered every mother's worst nightmare - her beloved daughter, brutally stabbed to death in her own bed.
The perpetrator was Luay Nader Sako, a former co-worker of Celeste's who had become obsessed with her. Though Celeste rebuffed his crude advances, Sako continued to stalk her online and in real life for months.
The family filed restraining orders and changed her number weekly, believing the worst was behind them. But Sako's obsession could not be contained.
In the early hours of November 16th, he smashed through Celeste's window before stabbing her 23 times as she lay in her childhood bed. The crime was over in less than 3 minutes.
Aggie Di Mauro remains racked with grief and guilt over her inability to protect her vibrant, loving daughter. At Sako's sentencing, she unleashed her anguish and fury, shouting through tears for him to face her.
But Sako refused, contesting the evidence against him and forcing the family to relive the horrific details. Though he pled guilty, this seeming lack of remorse compounds the family's pain.
Celeste's bright spirit touched all who knew her. Friends remember her cheerfulness and kindness, while her little niece will grow up without her doting aunt. Her dreams and potential were extinguished cruelly by a man unable to take no for an answer.
Celeste's tragic murder reveals the deadly intersection of male entitlement and the failure of systems to protect victims. Her family continues to grieve while advocating for more vigilance and accountability in stalking cases. Celeste Manno's devastating story illustrates that no woman, no matter how loved, is completely safe until misogynistic violence is addressed at its roots. Her memory demands that we do better.
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