A man charged over the alleged murder of his Bali-born former wife, whose body was found about 90km from where she vanished, is seeking to resolve the case in a bid to avoid the prospect of life in prison.
Indonesian mother-of-two Eva Lasrini, 53, from Dandenong in Melbourne’s south-east, was reported missing on April 2 when she failed to board a flight to Bali, where she had been due to visit her daughters.
Two days later, her body was discovered near Little River Road and the Princes Freeway at Little River, about 44km south-west of Melbourne CBD.
On Monday, 67-year-old Allen Keys appeared before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court via video link from custody, with the court told he is pursuing a possible deal that could spare him a life sentence.
Keys was arrested at Melbourne Airport while allegedly trying to board a flight to Bali and was charged shortly afterwards with Ms Lasrini’s murder.
The court heard Keys’ lawyer from Victorian Legal Aid submitted an ‘offer’ to the Director of the Office of Public Prosecutions on July 31, and that proposal is still being considered.
The details of the offer have not been made public, but if accepted it would likely result in Keys serving a substantially shorter time behind bars than he could face if convicted of murder.
In some cases, accused killers may offer to plead guilty to a lesser or related offence after receiving a sentence indication from a judge.
Allen Keys, pictured left with Eva Lasrini, has been charged with her murder
He could also be seeking to plead guilty to a lesser charge such as manslaughter.
Should the proposal be rejected by the Crown, Keys will likely push forward with a full-blown murder trial at the Supreme Court of Victoria sometime next year.
The court heard members of his ex-wife’s family had tuned into Monday’s hearing, where details of the deal were discussed.
Ms Lasrini had been encouraged by close friends to seek family violence services before her death after a ‘messy’ and ‘public’ split from Keys, the Daily Mail understands.
It is understood Keys had taken up a new relationship with an Indonesian woman when he allegedly murdered his wife.
In the lead-up to Ms Lasrini’s death, Keys wrote comments belittling Western women and praising relationships with Asian women.
‘It’s funny Western girls see an old perv, Asian girls see opportunity,’ he wrote online.
Another post said: ‘Western females should realise that when they come to Bali their value is reduced substantially and nobody will put up with their s***.’
He also wrote: ‘I would rather be chasing Asian girls than stuck at home with a useless, sexless white wife but everyone to their own.’
Mother-of-two Eva Lasrini (pictured, centre) was found dead by a road in Little River, Victoria, after moving to Melbourne for love
She was reported missing to police after failing to contact her family
On April 1, the day Ms Lasrini failed to board her flight, Keys posted images and videos on social media of him with another Balinese woman, captioning them: ‘New girl new life.’
He also shared videos making derogatory jokes about women and videos featuring Right-wing ‘manosphere’ content creator Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan.
Her friends paid tribute to Ms Lasrini on social media, saying she had moved to Australia for love.
‘Eva met her husband in Bali and fell in love,’ friend Gail Porter wrote on GoFundMe.
‘That love is what brought her to Melbourne, not for opportunity or financial gain, but to build a life with someone she trusted and cared for deeply.
‘She came to Australia for love, and deserved a life filled with safety, happiness, and peace.
‘After showing incredible strength, she was rebuilding her life from nothing and planning a trip home to Bali to spend time with her daughters, something she was so looking forward to.’
Ms Porter said her friend was a ‘devoted mother’ to Evindra and Vanya, who remain in Indonesia.
Allen Keys was estranged from his former partner
The beloved mum’s death sparked outrage over violent crime against women.
‘Eva’s daughters were meant to be spending time with their mum right now, not grieving her death,’ State MP for Dandenong Gabrielle Williams said at the time.
‘Eva deserved a full and happy life. She deserved to be safe. Perhaps most shocking of all is that Eva is just one of far too many women taken too early by family violence and violence against women. It has to stop.’
Ms Lasrini had been studying English and in February, she wrote on social media that she had been very busy but enthusiastic about learning.
‘The Australian government has given me a great opportunity to increase my value and improve myself, and I don’t want to waste that opportunity,’ she wrote.
Keys will return to court next month.
