Judge tells Monique Lezsak’s killer Sven Lindemann to ‘stop the crocodile tears’

A bodybuilder who used six knives to brutally stab his girlfriend while her 10-year-old daughter desperately fought to save her has been told by a judge to knock off the “crocodile tears” as he cried loudly in court.

Monique Lezsak was stabbed to death by her partner, Sven Lindemann. Picture: Supplied

A judge has ordered a crying murderer to stop his “crocodile tears” as a court heard how the jealous muscleman grabbed six knives to stab his girlfriend to death as her daughter, 10, fought to save her dying mum.

Sven Lindemann, 52, pleaded guilty to murdering Monique Lezsak, who he killed on May 30, 2023, a day after she told him their relationship was over and she wanted to be with another man.

The Supreme Court heard how Ms Lezsak’s daughter, Lily* managed to twice disarm her mother’s killer, but that he ran for another knife then another knife, using six weapons to kill the beloved mum of two before turning the blade on himself.

As the court was told by prosecutor Kristie Churchill of the brave attempts by Lily* to save her mother’s life, the small bodybuilder bent over in the dock shaking, with his head in his hands and loudly cried in a “dramatic” display.

“Would the accused stop the crocodile tears,” Judge Elizabeth Hollingworth called out to the killer, “It’s not remotely persuasive”.

Sven Lindemann stabbed Monique Lezsak to death. Picture: Supplied

Judge Hollingworth demanded he sit up and “just stop interrupting”, later noting he was “miraculously” able to control his behaviour as soon as she pulled him up.

Her Honour told his defence lawyer Lucinda Thies that his “turning it on apparently for my benefit” “really was quite unimpressive”.

The court heard Lindemann, on the morning of the murder, was so angry he grabbed six different knives, broke two of them while stabbing his partner of five years, and dragged Ms Lezsak through the house.

He was “undeterred” by her young daughter who managed to rip two knives from his grasp.

Then, within three minutes of killing her, the court heard Lindeman logged online and transferred $71k through his bank accounts and called his wife, who he had left in South Australia with their two children to start a relationship with Ms Lezsak in Melbourne.

Defence lawyer Ms Theis said when Lindemann transferred the cash while his partner lay dying on the floor, he described himself as “frazzled” and “not thinking clearly”.

It was a comment rejected by Judge Hollingworth who said it was “calculated and self-interested”.

Monique Lezsak ended her relationship with Lindemann the day before her death, telling him about she had feeling sfor another man. Picture: Supplied

A month before the murder, Ms Lezsak went on a family holiday to Queensland where she met a man through a gym and found her feelings towards Lindemann had changed.

She ended her relationship with Lindemann the day before her death, telling him about the other man, who he immediately stalked online.

The next morning, after sleeping in her daughter’s bedroom for the night in her parents’ Endeavour Hills home, Lindemann overheard Ms Lezsak speaking with the man in QLD at 7.32am.

Seconds later, screaming was recorded on the neighbours CCTV and inside the house, Ms Lezsak’s son and daughter, and her mother, heard her yell out.

Monique prioritised her two kids over anything else according to her father. Picture: Instagram

Lindemann stabbed Ms Lezsak, dragged her out of the bedroom door and into the kitchen.

“You ruined my life,” he screamed as he attacked Ms Lezsak, while her daughter managed to kick him and disarm him of the knife.

But he grabbed another knife, which the 10-year-old managed to pull from him again, before getting four more weapons.

As Lindemann was transferring cash and stabbing himself, Lily*, trying to give her mum CPR, called triple-0.

“Please help me, my mum is dead,” said the girl, who suffered five injuries to her hands after trying to save her mother.

When police arrived, Lily screamed for officers to get her brother Leo* from inside the house.

Officers found Lindemann, who told them he “doesn’t want to be saved and let me go ... she ruined my life”.

Sven Lindemann blamed Monique Lezsak for his brutal attack. Picture: Supplied

He later tried to blame his self-injected steroid use for his aggression at the time of the murder.

In jail, prison phones recorded Lindemann’s conversations with his parents, where he blamed his victim, telling them “she shouldn’t have started something with the other man ... she poured petrol on to the fire.”

He said she “ripped my heart out of my body and I couldn’t cope with it”, and that she “took everything from me”.

Ms Lezsak’s friend Jacqueline Schwarcz told the court she’d promised to look out for Lily, but that she doesn’t know how to respond to some of the comments she makes.

On one of their outings, the young girl said, “I don’t know why everyone said mummy died quickly, she was crawling on the floor”.

Lindemann faces a maximum of life in jail.

He will be sentenced at a later date.

*Not their real names

Father says coward killer planned attack

- Olivia Jenkins

The father Monique Lezsac believes his daughter’s killer waited until he’d left their home before launching his murderous attack, leaving only children and their grandmother to try and fight off the enraged bodybuilder.

Zoltan Lezsak revealed that Sven Lindemann had “waited until I was gone ... obviously planned it well” before he murdered Monique in the family’s Endeavour Hills home.

That morning, just Monique’s two 10-year-old children and her mother, battling Parkinson’s disease, was at home when the 51-year-old brute attacked his partner.

Zoltan said his daughter had doubts about the relationship with the man who had “extreme jealousy” and wanted to end it.

One of the major issues was that he “didn’t tolerate” her two kids, and would become annoyed when they simply acted like children.

Police at the home where Monique Lezsak was killed. Picture: Nine News

“That caused the decision in my daughter’s mind that it’s (relationship) not going to work,” he told the Herald Sun in 2023, in a conversation that can now be published following Lindemann’s guilty plea.

“She said, if you don’t accept my kids, it’s not going to work.”

But Zoltan said, “once he realised Monique was slipping away, he tried everything to turn (it) around.”

“In the last year and a half or so, he made a turn around and he did everything that he never did before like trying to please them, more money, more everything, because that’s when he realised he was slipping (out of control etc).”

“He was a very self-centred and selfish person. They are very dangerous when it comes to the realisation that … if I can’t have you, no one else can.”

Zoltan believes Lindemann made up his mind to murder Monique up to two weeks before her death.

The night before she was killed, Zoltan said he heard Lindemann “calling her names”.

Monique had broken up with him that day, telling him she wanted to be with another man.

Lindemann told her father she had “destroyed his life”.

“He made up his mind, simple as that,” Zoltan said.

“It was premeditated because he knew what time I leave (for work) and waited for me to be away in the morning and then he attacked her straight away.”

Zoltan said he felt “blank” towards Lindemann.

“I don’t feel hate. He’s going to suffer. He’ll be an old man when he comes out.”