A misogynistic teenager who used an AI chatbot to plan the murder of his mother has been jailed for life. Tristan Roberts, 18, beat 45-year-old teaching assistant Angela Shellis to death with a sledgehammer in Prestatyn, north Wales, last October.
Roberts spent weeks researching how to kill his mother and used the AI search tool DeepSeek to ask for tips for a 'non-experienced' killer and whether a hammer or knife was a better weapon. When the bot refused to engage, he tricked it by claiming he was writing a book about serial killers.
The attack lasted over four hours, beginning at their home where he held her captive and hit her with a hammer. He recorded the assault on a Dictaphone, with Angela heard screaming and begging him to call 999. He later led her to Morfa Nature Park, where he launched a final attack with a heavy hammer.
In messages on Discord, Roberts expressed hatred for women and girls, blaming his mother for his problems. He had over a dozen aliases on the platform due to being blocked for disturbing content. The judge said Roberts carefully planned the killing, buying weapons online and researching how to remove traces of blood and DNA.
Roberts admitted murder and was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 22 and a half years. Judge Rhys Rowlands described the killing as 'a truly awful way for someone to die'.
