A murderous husband who led his daughter to find her mother’s body in their garage will spend more than two decades behind bars.

Warning: This story contains graphic details that may disturb some readers.

Joe Lo Bianco appeared in the Supreme Court of Victoria on Thursday and was sentenced to 24 years in prison with a non-parole period of 18 years and six months.

His wife, Kaliopi Roumeliotis, had just gotten out of her car at their Melbourne home on November 30, 2022, when Mr Lo Bianco repeatedly hit her on the head and neck with a metal car ramp.

He left her body on the garage floor, placing the murder weapon under her head to fake an accidental death, before removing and hiding her bloodied clothes.

Mr. Lo Bianco went next door to chat with his in-laws for nearly an hour while he waited for his daughter to be dropped off after a friend’s birthday party.

When the girl arrived, he asked her for her mother and suggested she might be in the garage.

Mr. Lo Bianco then told his daughter to go in and see if he was there.

The young woman, named in court under the pseudonym Sally, found her mother’s body with blood covering the floor, car and walls.

Sally ran next door, begging for help from her uncle and aunt, who came and started CPR while Mr. Lo Bianco called triple zero.

Paramedics confirmed Ms Roumeliotis was already dead.

“The most extreme form of domestic violence”

Judge Amanda Fox said taking her daughter to the site of her mother’s body was a “deeply aggravating aspect of (his) offending”.

She noted Lo Bianco’s refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19 before the murder.

The decision also meant Mr Lo Bianco could not continue working at Australia Post, leading to “tensions and arguments” over finances.

Judge Fox said both Ms Roumeliotis and her daughter should have been looked after and protected by Mr Lo Bianco.

“Instead, you destroyed that trust when you committed this crime,” she said.

“Your offense was one of domestic violence, as previously stated, killing a domestic partner is the most extreme form of domestic violence.”

Judge Fox told the court that no sentence he imposed could make up for the “priceless” life of Ms Roumeliotis.

“She is greatly missed by all who loved her,” she said.

Mr Lo Bianco, who has been in custody since 2022, initially told police his wife tripped and fell, claiming he had no involvement in her death because he was in the back yard cleaning out a rabbit hutch.

The 53-year-old later admitted what happened and pleaded guilty to murder in the Supreme Court in September.

AAP