WARNING: This story contains distressing descriptions of violence and Indigenous readers are advised it contains photos of someone who has died.

Shocking details of how a man allegedly killed his partner using a towel rail as an improvised weapon in the bathroom of her suburban home have been published by a Perth court.

Peter Damjanovic has been charged with the murder of his on-again, off-again partner Tiffany Woodley, 35, and Supreme Court Justice Joseph McGrath this week revealed details of the state's case against the 38-year-old as he published his reasons for allowing him a judge-only trial.

Ms Woodley died in August last year after paramedics found her with what police described as "horrific injuries" at her Bedford home.

At the time WA Police Inspector Geoff DeSanges said Ms Woodley had "lost her life last night to extreme violence."

Relationship of violence

The state's case is that Mr Damjanovich attacked Ms Woodley after an argument, using the towel rail to "viciously" assault her with blows to the head as she tried to flee, before kicking her as she lay bleeding on the bathroom floor.

The court documents state Ms Woodley had taken out multiple violence restraining orders against Mr Damjanovich, who was the father of two of her children.

Their relationship "was characterised by family violence from early on", according to the documents, with Ms Woodley frequently reporting to her mother that she had been beaten by Mr Damjanovich, and turning up at her mother's house "all beat up and with her hair matted" on one occasion.

The most recent VRO she took against him had been dated May 2023, just three months before her death.

'Vicious' attack as she tried to flee

On the day of her death, the state says Mr Damjanovich had drunk a bottle of port, becoming angry around 4pm that afternoon and hitting her.

A triple-0 call made by Mr Damjanovich forms part of prosecutor's case against him, according to the documents, which allege he told the operator he had beaten Ms Woodley because they had an argument, and that he had killed her.

Prosecutors also claim Mr Damjanovich told police "yes sir, yes, I'm a murderer" when told he was under arrest at the scene.

The documents also revealed details of Ms Woodley's post-mortem, which found she had suffered multiple soft tissue injuries and fractures of the head and face, as well as associates traumatic brain injuries.

Evidence prosecutors intend to submit at the trial includes "confronting and graphic" photos of Ms Woodley's injuries, as well as body worn camera vision of the bloody scene that confronted police and paramedics when they arrived.

Family anger noted

Mr Damjanovich's counsel intends to rely on causation and intent arguments in his defence, according to the documents.

Justice McGrath ruled that a judge-alone trial was appropriate partly because of the confronting nature of the evidence, but also because of the extensive media coverage the trial is likely to attract.

In particular, he noted the activism of Ms Woodley's family in speaking out about her death and attending family violence protests, as well as their plan to wear clothes featuring her image during the trial.

"Counsel submitted that family members have been 'very vocal about their anger towards the accused and have expressed this anger in the court environment'," he wrote.

"It is highly likely the deceased's family will continue to speak publicly on the death and domestic violence in the community.

"There exists a risk of the publicity creating a climate of hostility or prejudice to the accused."

The trial is expected to take place next year.