Robert Graham Thomas represented himself before being sentenced in the Brisbane Supreme Court on Thursday for the 2015 murder of Danielle Miller.

Miller, who had been in a casual sexual relationship with Thomas, was found by police lying face up alongside a broken fan and a clump of her own hair in her Greenslopes home.

Thomas' trial heard he tried to cover up his crime by throwing clothing Ms Miller had worn before her death into a bin at a building site at the property next door.

After killing her, Thomas stole Ms Miller's bank cards and withdrew $2000 cash from her account.

He sent $350 cash to his wife in the Philippines and paid for his return flights there before telling his boss he needed a month off work.

In court on Thursday, Thomas made disparaging remarks about Ms Miller while also apologising to her family before he was sentenced.

Thomas also said he would lodge an appeal against his conviction.

Justice David Jackson sentenced Thomas to life imprisonment for the murder which has a mandatory minimum non-parole period of 20 years in Queensland.

He said Thomas squeezed Ms Miller's neck so hard he fractured cartilage in Ms Miller's neck and caused heavy bruising.

"For the victim, it would have been a terrifying ordeal," Justice Jackson said.

Australian Associated Press