Family Friend Hunted in Sex Slaying of Young Mother

A family acquaintance was being sought by Orange County sheriff’s investigators Wednesday in the apparent sexual attack and strangulation of a young Anaheim woman, who left behind three sets of twin children all under age 6.

The partially clad body of Lisa Maria Guardiola, 24, was found early Saturday morning at the Chapman Road entrance to Irvine Regional Park in the foothills east of Orange.

Guardiola was killed at that remote location between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. Saturday, a Sheriff’s Department report said. She died as the result of “ligature” strangulation, or strangulation using a wire or cord, according to preliminary autopsy results cited in a sheriff’s report.

Sheriff’s officials Wednesday identified Guardiola’s suspected killer as Roger Max Keller, 27, a Peruvian native living in Santa Ana who befriended the Guardiola family three months ago.

The district attorney’s office issued an arrest warrant Wednesday for Keller. He is wanted on suspicion of murder and his bond is set at $250,000. Authorities initially acted on the basis of an informant’s tip, according to the sheriff’s report.

Alfredo Guardiola, 28, husband of the slain woman, said Wednesday that he was introduced to Keller through a friend three months ago while studying at the UC Irvine library. Since then, Guardiola said, Keller had visited his family’s two-bedroom apartment on Clifton Avenue “three or four times.”

Guardiola, who had just returned home from his wife’s Wednesday morning funeral at Anaheim Cemetery, said he observed no hint of trouble between his wife and Keller.

“We didn’t know anything about his past. It was just a complete surprise to everyone that he would do anything like this,” Guardiola said Wednesday, glumly leafing through a photo album filled with smiling pictures of his wife and their three sets of twins, ages 11 months, 3 years and 5. There are five boys and one girl.

Mrs. Guardiola’s death came as a staggering blow to a family already buffeted in recent years by her ill health and their economic hardship.

Money has been so tight that Guardiola said his wife resorted to writing some bad checks four years ago.

“She did that because there was no food for the kids,” Guardiola said. “We couldn’t get help from anyone.”

Guardiola said his wife became stricken with a severe thyroid disease two years ago and that the condition worsened because she ignored doctors’ advice to take daily medication. Guardiola said his wife did not want to take the medication all the time because it made her drowsy and unable to keep up with her responsibilities as a wife and mother.

Mrs. Guardiola was hospitalized with the illness for 10 days last month at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, her husband said.

Because his wife had become so ill, Guardiola said he had to quit his job last month as a truck driver to help take care of the children. He said he has been supporting his family since on weekly $166 unemployment compensation checks. His monthly rent alone is $650.

“Right now, it’s getting bad,” Guardiola said. “I mean, I haven’t paid the rent for this month.”

Guardiola said he would continue caring for the children, with help from Mrs. Guardiola’s family. Guardiola said he recently applied for welfare. He said his wife’s parents paid for her funeral because he could not afford to. About 30 friends and relatives attended the services.

Guardiola said he last saw his wife alive when she left Friday night to join friends at a local nightclub. He contacted authorities when she failed to return home.

‘Do I Look Nice?’

“The last thing she said to me was, ‘Do I look OK? Do I look nice,’ ” Guardiola said.

Keller allegedly used his blue 1975 Monte Carlo to abduct the woman for the crime, according to the sheriff’s report. Sheriff’s Lt. Richard J. Olson said the car was impounded by sheriff’s investigators Sunday evening. He said a search warrant was being obtained for the car.

Keller, who has told friends he is a former U.S. Marine originally from Nicaragua, is really from Peru, sheriff’s officials said. He is described as six feet tall, 155 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair.

Olson asked that anyone knowing the whereabouts of Keller contact the Sheriff’s Department at (714) 647-7000 or 647-7044.

Keller has not shown up since Saturday at his job as a laborer for a stucco manufacturer in Santa Ana, said his boss, Pat Burns. Burns said Keller, “a pretty good worker” who has been employed at the business for about a year, failed to show up for his regular morning shift on Monday.

“He’s the type of guy who, if he’d keep his mouth shut once in awhile, he’d be popular,” Burns said.