Man Who Strangled Mother of Six Gets 15 Years to Life

A Santa Ana man convicted of strangling a mother of three sets of twins was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison Friday, after the judge told him he deserved no breaks because the crime was so brutal.

The jury found Roger Max Keller, 28, guilty of second-degree murder instead of first-degree, giving Superior Court Judge Everett W. Dickey the option of giving him less than the maximum 15-year sentence, even placing him on probation.

But Dickey told Keller that “the brutality of this crime is a very important factor. It’s one thing to fire a gun at somebody . . . but this woman suffered a very brutal death.”

On Nov. 14, 1987, Keller strangled 24-year-old Lisa Guardiola of Anaheim, whose husband, Alfredo, had befriended him. Her nude body was found by a jogger just before dawn that day near the entrance to Irvine Regional Park.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Jill W. Roberts claims that the only apparent motive for the murder was that the Guardiolas had been arguing and Keller may have misinterpreted something the husband said about wishing his wife dead.

Keller’s attorney, Paul Stark, claimed that it was one of the most bizarre cases he has been involved in. For example, Stark said, Keller ordered him not to appeal his conviction. Failure to appeal is almost unheard of in murder convictions.

“Nothing that Roger Keller says surprises me,” Stark said.

Keller had confessed to the crime after his arrest, but Stark had successfully argued to throw out the confession on the grounds that it had been coerced. But even aware of the confession, Stark said he had serious doubts whether it was Keller who had killed the woman.

“I think there are just a lot of unanswered questions about what happened,” Stark said.

But prosecutor Roberts said, “I’m satisfied the facts have come out and that he (Keller) received a fair trial.”

Judge Dickey noted the lack of any clear-cut motive for the crime. But he said that only made him less inclined to give Keller any break on the sentencing.

The victim’s mother, Lu Rutters, said she plans to attend every parole hearing in an attempt to ensure that Keller remains in prison as long as possible. He could be eligible for parole in eight years, Roberts said.

Rutters said the three sets of twins, all under the age of 6, are living with their father in his native Colombia. She said the children are still adjusting to their mother’s death.

In a statement to the court at sentencing, Rutters said her daughter had been the victim of first her father, then her husband, and finally Keller. “He made her a final victim,” she said.