A bodybuilder who brutally murdered his partner in front of her young daughter has appealed to have his sentence reduced, sparking outrage from her friends and loved ones.
Sven Lindemann was recently jailed for 31 years, with a non-parole period of 25 over the frenzied six-knife stabbing of his partner Monique Lezsak, 39, after she attempted to end their relationship.
Lindemann brutally stabbed his ex-partner 17 times on her head, neck and chest in their Endeavour Hills home in Melbourne‘s south-east in May last year.
He later pleaded guilty to his partner’s murder, as well as recklessly injuring her 10-year-old daughter, who was found covered in her mother’s blood after intervening in the horrific attack.
Two months after he was sentenced, Lindemann’s appeal has been formally lodged with the Supreme Court and is expected to be heard next year.
It means that the horrific case will heard by a full panel of judges at the Court of Appeal.
Ms Lezsak’s best friend Jacqueline Schwarcz admitted to Nine News that she ‘laughed’ when she first heard the news because she thought it was joke,
She also recalled the devastating impact it has had on the lives who knew and loved Ms Lezsak.
Sven Lindemann pleaded guilty to the murder of his partner Monique Lezsak (pictured)
‘Without sounding too dramatic, it’s ruined our lives, things have changed overnight,’ Ms Schwarcz said.
‘I cannot even understand how a human being can be wired like this.’
Ms Schwarcz had this scathing message for Lindemann, who has already spent a year behind bars.
‘We know that you’re not remorseful, we know that you have no regrets, and that’s fine, we’ll see how it plays out for you,’ she said.
‘Because he is narcissistic, it wouldn’t surprise me that these (his appeal) are just actions to keep him in the spotlight.
While Lindemann avoided the maximum penalty of a life sentence, Justice Elizabeth Hollingworth said Lindemann had committed a ‘brutal, frenzied attack,’ adding that domestic homicide was ‘not a less serious category of murder because of the pre-existing relationship’.
She said it was ‘sheer luck’ that her daughter was not seriously injured, adding that Lindemann failed in his duty as a stepfather to protect the little girl and her twin brother from harm by subjecting them to a terrifying ordeal.
Justice Hollingworth said Lindemann had committed a ‘rational act,’ which was motivated by jealousy, and an ‘unwillingness to allow your partner to move on with her life’.
In May, Sven Lindemann (pictured) was jailed for 31 years, with a non-parole period of 25 years over the frenzied six-knife stabbing of his partner Monique Lezsak, 39. He is appealing the sentence
She noted his ‘hypocrisy and sense of entitlement,’ that caused him to become ‘enraged’ by the thought Ms Lezsak ‘might choose to leave you and start a relationship with someone she’d recently met’.
This is despite the fact that he had previously cheated on his ex-wife.
However Justice Hollingworth accepted there was ‘no evidence’ his attack was premeditated, and she accepted it was a relatively spontaneous act.
Justice Hollingworth also acknowledged ‘bravery’ of Ms Lezsak’s young daughter and commended her attempts to save her mum.
‘Hopefully as she grows up, she will come to understand that there was nothing more she could have done to save her mother who would have been so very proud of his courage and determination,’ she said.
Prior to adjourning the case for sentencing, Justice Hollingworth said Lindemann had committed the ‘terrible’ act after a day of ‘seething’.
‘He was so angry he dragged her through the house, he grabbed six different knives and was able to break two of them in the process,’ she said.
‘He was not deterred by a 10-year-old girl trying to stop him … He was out of control, ferocious and determined to kill her.’
Sven Lindemann’s appeal to have his sentenced reduced will be heard next year
Monique Lezsak’s best friend Jacqueline Schwarcz admitted that she ‘laughed’ when she first heard the news about Lindemann’s appeal as she thought it was a joke
Justice Hollingworth also admonished the bodybuilder for wailing in court, demanding he ‘stop the crocodile tears’.
‘It’s not remotely persuasive. It’s a bit late for him to pretend he’s remorseful,’ she said.
‘The evidence is completely to the contrary. He still maintains she ruined his life, he doesn’t accept that he killed her and ruined his own life.’
Taking into account time already served, Lindemann will be eligible for parole in 2048.
