Sydney man who murdered ex-wife charged with Lakemba sex assault
A man who strangled his ex-wife before burning her corpse in the bush is back in court after a routine DNA swab in prison allegedly linked him to a 1988 sexual assault in Sydney’s southwest.
NSW
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A man who strangled his ex-wife before burning her corpse in the bush is back in court on sexual assault charges.
Richard Giardina, who is serving a life sentence for murdering his ex-wife Lisa Maree Keem, 33, in 2008, has been charged with three historical offences from 1988.
Giardina’s DNA was swabbed as part of an inmate testing program in January at a Queensland prison.
A match occurred when his details were entered into the national crime database which lists unsolved cases in each state.
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The paper facts of the historic case were tracked by police and an investigation took place.
In June, Giardina was charged by the NSW Police Sex Crime team with breaking into a 26-year-old stranger’s Lakemba home at night, having sex with her without consent and stealing from her.
Giardina was transferred to Silverwater Prison.
According to court documents, police will allege Giardina entered the victim’s home through a window about 9.30pm and sexually assaulted her, before stealing her wallet and $500 cash.
This is allegedly the same man who 20 years later brutally murdered businesswoman Lisa Keem, then cut his hair, packed his bags and fled to Italy.
Giardina was not required to attend Burwood Local Court on Wednesday for a mention in the historic case and was not required to enter a plea.
Lawyer Julie Nguyen asked the magistrate for a two-week adjournment, before telling the court her client was serving a sentence on an unrelated matter.
For almost three years, Giardina maintained he was innocent of bashing and murdering Queensland businesswoman Ms Keem on June 14, 2008.
But just minutes before he was to stand trial in March 2011, he made a shock admission of guilt.
Mr Copley said Giardina removed the body from his car, doused it in petrol and set it alight. A man collecting firewood made the grisly discovery of the body later that day.
“The disposal of the body was a very determined attempt to ensure authorities could not find out who it was,” Mr Copley said.
The court was told once he arrived home in Sydney, Giardina set the car on fire. He then had his hair cut, packed his bags and caught the next flight to Italy.
He returned to Australia weeks later to hand himself in to police, who were alerted to Ms Keem’s disappearance by her concerned friends.
The court heard Ms Keem’s autopsy report found the cause of death was strangulation, but there were also injuries consistent with being punched in the face and kneed in the stomach.
Mr Copley said evidence – including CCTV footage of him removing petrol cans from his workplace and purchasing the car under a false name – proved Giardina had been planning the murder for several weeks.
Of particular note was the fact that several months prior to the killing, Ms Keem and Giardina’s lawyers had been discussing $60,000 Ms Keem owed to Giardina’s mother, who helped the couple start a pet grooming business when they moved to Hervey Bay in 2006.
Giardina is due back in Burwood Court later this month.
He is due to be considered for parole on his current charges in July 2023.
Forensic Evidence and Technical Services Command Superintendent Grant Healey said advances in technology was one of the tools they used to solve historical crimes.
“Technology has naturally allowed police to expand their ‘toolbox’ in terms of the collection of evidence and the identification of perpetrators of crime,” Mr Healey said.
“Just as criminals are adapting to and exploiting changes in technology to develop new ways to commit crimes, law enforcement must use it to develop new ways to prevent and disrupt crime.”