Joe Lo Bianco confessed to the brutal murder of his wife, Kaliopi Roumeliotis, in the Victorian Supreme Court. On November 30, 2022, Lo Bianco violently and fatally attacked Roumeliotis with a metal car ramp in their garage shortly after she arrived home.
According to reports, Lo Bianco struck Roumeliotis repeatedly in the head and neck leaving her lifeless body on the garage floor, hiding the murder weapon under her head, and then concealing his bloody clothes.
While he waited for his young daughter to be dropped off, Lo Bianco went next door to converse with his in-laws for nearly an hour.
When his daughter, identified in court as Sally, arrived and inquired about her mother, Lo Bianco directed her to check the garage. Tragically, the young girl discovered her mother’s body covered in blood. In shock, Sally ran to her uncle and aunt for help.
Despite their efforts to perform CPR, paramedics confirmed that Roumeliotis was already deceased.
On the day of the murder, Lo Bianco had spent hours gambling while scientist Roumeliotis was at work amid financial strain exacerbated by Lo Bianco’s job loss after refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.
Initially, Lo Bianco claimed to the police that his wife must have tripped and fallen, asserting he had no role in her death since he was in the backyard cleaning a rabbit enclosure at the time. However, the 53-year-old later pleaded guilty to murder in the Victorian Supreme Court.
During the court proceedings, Lo Bianco avoided eye contact with Roumeliotis’ family and kept his head down as 10 victim impact statements were read.
In a poignant statement read by her uncle Arthur Roumeliotis, his daughter stated that Lo Bianco’s actions had left her with scars that would never heal.
Defence barrister Moya O’Brien described the attack as a crime of passion rather than premeditation, noting Lo Bianco’s remorse and his lack of prior convictions.
In contrast, prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC characterised the murder as a premeditated, brutal assault on a vulnerable woman. She highlighted Lo Bianco’s deliberate actions to conceal his guilt.
Lo Bianco will be sentenced at a later date.
Source: The Guardian.
