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But Judge Elizabeth Hollingworth shouted at Lindemann to “stop the crocodile tears” because it was clear he was faking and not genuinely remorseful.
Her daughter, known in court as Lily, heard screams from the bedroom bathroom and ran to see her mother being attacked by Lindemann.
He stabbed his ex-partner, strangled her and dragged her around the house.
Lilly tried to stop Lindemann by kicking him and twice yanking the knife from his hands, but he continued to grab more weapons.
He used a total of six knives, breaking two of them as he inflicted the fatal stab wounds on Lezsak’s head, neck and chest.
Lily also received five wounds during the attack.
The worried young girl called triple zero, telling operators that there was a killer in the house.
When police arrived, they heard her begging her mother not to leave her, but Lezsak could not be revived.
Lily’s twin brother and Lezak’s mother were also at the Endeavor Hills home at the time of the attack.
Police found Lindeman in the bedroom with a self-inflicted stab wound to the chest.
Before stabbing himself, Lindemann made a $70,000 bank transfer and tried to call his ex-wife, who lived in Adelaide.
Lindemann was remanded in prison for assessment in Melbourne after undergoing emergency surgery.
In taped conversations with her parents, Lindemann accused Lezsak, saying she had “poured gasoline on the fire” and that she had “broken everything” for him.
His lawyer, Lucinda Thies, told the court that Lindemann, who pleaded guilty to murder, had accepted responsibility for his crimes and was sorry for his behaviour.
But Judge Hollingworth disagreed, saying she could not accept he was genuinely remorseful.
“He still claims she ruined his life,” she said.
Thies asked the judge to take into account Lindemann’s strong family history, no previous convictions and previous good character.
But Judge Hollingworth said those qualities did not make him unique, particularly in a case of serious family violence.
“Abusers and perpetrators of domestic violence often present one face to the world and one face to their partner – your client is no different,” she said.
The judge noted that this was a very serious example of a crime, especially considering there were young children and a grandmother present.
Prosecutor Christy Churchill said women have the right to end relationships without that choice leading to their death.
She encouraged the court to send a strong message to the community that such crimes warrant serious punishment.
More than a dozen of Lezsak’s family and friends packed the court for the pre-sentence hearing, where the mother of two was remembered as a beautiful person inside and out.
“She didn’t deserve this and neither did her children,” said her friend Donna Brown.
“Every day I struggle with what happened and the selfishness of his actions.
Lindeman, who faces up to life in prison, will be sentenced at a later date.
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