Much-loved family man Mayiik Ring, 32, was fatally stabbed at a reserve in Melbourne's west as he tried to resolve an argument between his girlfriend and the killer.
He did not know his girlfriend, Nyaiek Anyang, was pregnant when he died in hospital from his wounds.
Malwal Aweng, 28, was found guilty of Mr Ring's murder after his second jury trial in April.
Aweng and his girlfriend were sitting on benches with Mr Ring and Ms Anyang near the St Albans community centre after 10pm on December 30, 2022.
An argument broke out between Aweng and Ms Anyang.
Mr Ring tried to intervene and resolve the situation, but the fight became physical.
Aweng grabbed a knife from his girlfriend's bag and slashed Ms Anyang across the neck, before thrusting the blade once into Mr Ring's abdomen.
Mr Ring stumbled to the community centre for help but collapsed at the entrance and was taken to hospital.
He died from his injuries about midnight on December 31.
Aweng, who was on bail at the time, fled after stabbing Mr Ring and was later arrested and charged with murder.
He had admitted manslaughter but denied he intentionally tried to kill Mr Ring.
Two juries were empanelled this year, with the first unable to reach a verdict.
Aweng was found guilty of murder after his second jury trial on April 9, and he also pleaded guilty to intentionally causing injury to Ms Anyang.
He stood and appeared to become emotional as Justice Andrew Tinney jailed him for a maximum of 25 years on Friday for the "vicious" and "entirely uncalled for" murder.
"These were two blameless victims who did nothing to deserve your attacks on them," the judge told the Supreme Court in Melbourne.
"Mr Ring in particular was a peacemaker ... It is disturbing that for so little reason you sought to escalate a minor disagreement.
"You took away the life of a much-loved and valued member of the community, you removed him from the life of his partner and his unborn child.
"It is a tragedy for which you are fully responsible."
He noted Aweng's "significant and concerning criminal history", which included punching a man to the ground in 2017 outside Melbourne's State Library and stomping on his head as he lay unconscious.
Justice Tinney said protection of the community had loomed large in his determination of an appropriate sentence.
Ms Anyang told a pre-sentence hearing she found out she was pregnant with Ms Ring's little girl after he was killed.
"Even though he is gone, he left a piece of himself," she said in a statement to court in July.
"Raising our daughter without him is incredibly hard."
She said the scars on her neck from the stabbing were a constant reminder of the terrible events of that evening.
Justice Tinney described the attack on Ms Anyang as "very dangerous conduct", and said he will serve one extra year behind bars for causing her injuries.
Aweng, who was supported in court by six people, will be eligible for parole in 19 years and has already served two years and seven months of his sentence.
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