Fernando Manuel Paulino - fuelled by a "white-hot hatred " - was so enraged his ex-wife would benefit from their assets that he repeatedly threatened to kill her before fatally stabbing her at least 16 times, a jury has heard.
Paulino, 55, had told one of their two sons: "She'll die before I give her anything," the Supreme Court trial was told on Thursday.
Paulino has pleaded not guilty to murdering Teresa Mancuso, 49, his wife of 23 years, in the garage of her elderly parent's Reservoir home in 2013.
The flight attendant was stabbed at least 16 times to the chest, abdomen and back and suffered blunt force trauma to the head, the jury heard. She was left in a pool of blood in her dressing gown.
Prosecutor Andrew Tinney SC said in the lead-up to her death, Paulino repeatedly threatened Ms Mancuso's life, stalked her, insulted her and made nuisance phone calls.
With family court proceedings underway, he became increasingly angry she would benefit from the sale of their matrimonial home and two factories.
Paulino also spread rumours that his ex-wife was in a pornography video that featured an unidentifiable man and woman, and invited their two sons to watch it, jurors heard.
Mr Tinney said Paulino was increasingly "resentful, angry, embittered" and blamed his ex-wife for all that was wrong in his life.
"A man who said to a number of people he'd kill her, a man who did exactly that," he told jurors.
Paulino also suspected Ms Mancuso may have been seeing someone else during or after their marriage, telling his sons: "Your slut of a mum cheated on me," and "Your slut of a mum destroyed this family."
Paulino also believed the family assets were his and she didn't deserve anything, Mr Tinney said.
"She'll make me kill myself and kill her," the accused allegedly said.
The jury heard Paulino was subject to an intervention order taken out by Ms Mancuso at the time of her death.
The defence will address the jury on Friday.
AAP