The meth addict who ruthlessly bashed an elderly man to death has been sentenced to life behind bars.
Quade Karsum Jones went on a ‘merciless’ hour-long crime spree in east Perth on August 16, 2020, killing 84-year-old Emiliano Lombardi in a case that horrified Australia.
Mr Lombardi was the fifth victim in a series of seven unprovoked assaults carried out by Jones.
His co-accused Joshua Cates was cleared of being an accessory to murder in December 2020, but ordered to do 40 hours of community service for graffiti during the crime spree.
Prior to Emiliano Lombardi’s death, police shared a photo of his injuries which horrified Australia
Quade Karsum Jones (pictured) has been sentenced to life for the horrific series of assaults that led to the death of the 84-year-old
Mr Lombardi was standing outside of his East Cannington home on Henry Street when Jones approached armed with a shattered car mirror which he used to slash the elderly man.
Prior to the attack, Jones had beat a another man in his car and at a separate home, grabbed a woman by her hair and shook her head.
The woman’s housemate had also been attacked when he attempted to stop Jones from entering their home.
His fourth victim was a woman who Jones ‘walloped’ on the back of her body before attempting to throw a can at her.
Mr Lombardi was the fifth victim in a series of seven unprovoked assaults carried out by Jones (pictured)
After severely injuring Mr Lombardi – his fifth victim – Jones went on to attack a neighbour by aiming to throw a can of spray paint and a mailbox at the victim’s head.
Jones then began walking towards Beckenham train station where he attacked another woman.
The killer stole the woman’s beanie and then hit her in the back with a sign he had taken from a nearby shop.
He then took a train to Armadale where he visited a pub and stayed in the restroom for an hour.
Mr Lombardi’s son, Don, described his father (pictured) as a ‘strong man from old stock who worked hard even in his 80s’
Investigators say they found evidence Jones had attempted to clean himself off while in the bathroom.
At his sentencing on Thursday, The West Australian reports Supreme Court Justice Stephen Hall said the ‘merciless’ criminal had been given plenty of opportunity to stop his rampage but had continued with ‘furious determination’.
He said Jones had attacked Mr Lombardi with ‘mindless and sustained violence’ and had no hesitancy in attacking anyone who had the ‘misfortune of coming in contact’ with him, which he said would have been ‘shocking and frightening’.
‘This sort of behaviour strikes fear into most people because anybody could have been a victim that day,’ he said.
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Hall Jones (pictured) had attacked Mr Lombardi with ‘mindless and sustained violence’
Jones was not arrested until four days after the attacks on August 20, 2020, and will be eligible for parole in 2043 (pictured during his arrest)
Mr Lombardi had spent a fortnight in hospital fighting for his life but eventually asked his family to stop treatment and ‘let me go’.
Director of Public Prosecutions Amanda Forrester SC described called Jones’ attack on Mr Lombardi as a ‘very severe and vicious assault’ and noted the innocent man was ‘savagely beaten’ in the head and face with the broken mirror.
Ms Forrester said Mr Lombardi had made his way inside his home – bleeding heavily and disorientated – while Mr Jones was still on the road outside.
Defence lawyer Bernard Standish said Jones had no ‘true memory’ of the vicious attacks but was heavily intoxicated at the time.
Mr Lombardi was attacked in the front yard of his Perth home (pictured)
There has been no suggestion that Jones suffers from a mental illness or a personality disorder that could have contributed to his cruel actions.
Jones was not arrested until four days after the attacks on August 20, 2020.
By that time it was too late for police to test if Jones had any drugs in his system at the time of the events.
Jones’ lawyer has insisted he feels guilty for his actions but and that Jones ‘clearly didn’t have an intention to kill’.
‘He regrets it, it’s behaviour he thinks about all the time and if he could take it back, he could,’ he said.
Jones (pictured) had initially pleaded his innocence and was set to face court in late February but changed his plea to guilty late last year
The court heard the attacks were not Jones’ first case of intoxicated violence and that he had beat his father over the head with a coffee cup in 2016.
Mr Lombardi’s heartbroken son Don said in his victim impact statement that he had a ‘hole in his heart’ and that he spent everyday missing his dad.
He described Mr Lombardi as a ‘strong man from old stock who worked hard even in his 80s’ and said he had spent his days tending to his much-loved vegetable garden and visiting an Italian club.
Don Lombardi said his entire family was suffering from Jones’ actions and that it’s not something Mr Lombardi grandchildren would easily ‘get over’.
Jones had initially pleaded his innocence and was set to face court in late February but changed his plea to guilty late last year.
He will be eligible for parole in 2043.
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