Tragic Murder of Devoted Mother by Her Own Son
Angela Shellis's Facebook page presented the image of a deeply affectionate, hands-on mother whose entire universe centered around her children. The social media feed was filled with warm tributes to 'my boys', adoring photographs commemorating proud family milestones, and videos capturing everyday domestic moments that held the greatest significance for her. Yet nestled within those cheerful family posts were loving images of the very son who would ultimately become her murderer.
A Descent into Online Hatred
Violence-obsessed Tristan Roberts, aged 18, had become profoundly immersed in a toxic digital realm of hatred and disturbing fantasy. Diagnosed with both autism and ADHD, he spent countless hours each day consuming alarming misogynistic material online, eventually blaming his devoted mother for his profound unhappiness. In a horrific act, he bludgeoned teaching assistant Angela, 45, with a sledgehammer while recording the prolonged assault on a Dictaphone, concluding with the chilling statement: 'I just killed her... job's done'.
Troubled Roberts had even turned to artificial intelligence to help meticulously map out his macabre plot in October of last year, explicitly citing desires for 'revenge, justice, vengeance'. Yet in stark reality, family members consistently described Angela as a 'fiercely supportive' mother who 'never gave up' on her son, showering him with unconditional love throughout his life.
A Life Built Around Family
Angela Shellis was a doting mother who expressed that she was happiest when at home with 'my boys' - her 18-year-old son Tristan Roberts and his older brother Ethan. Her social media profile stands as powerful testament to this devotion, revealing a treasure trove of photographs featuring Roberts and eldest son Ethan, now 20. One tender photo from November 2024 was simply captioned: 'My boys.' Another image showed a 'sneaky pic with my lad' - capturing an unsuspecting Roberts in the passenger seat of her car, accompanied by the Jack Johnson song lyric 'Better Together'.
The collection included pictures of her sons playing chess together, enjoying family trips to Blackpool and Paris, and engaging in playful antics at their £182,000 semi-detached home in Prestatyn, North Wales. One photo affectionately described Roberts and Ethan as 'young bingo lovers'. In another heartfelt post, Angela declared: 'Home is where my boys are.' On an image celebrating a full house during a game, she wrote: 'This makes me happy'. Another seemingly ordinary video showed Roberts walking the family dog, Blade.
Sacrifices for Her Children
Angela, who had returned to North Wales from Dunstable, Bedfordshire, following her divorce from husband Mark Roberts in 2021, had constructed her entire existence around her sons. Despite being a fully qualified teacher, she had deliberately chosen a lower-paid position as a teaching assistant at Rhyl High School specifically to allocate more time with her children. In one particularly poignant social media post, she expressed: 'I will never understand how some parents live every day knowing they have a child out there they rarely bother about and just get on with their life without a care in the world.'
The Chilling Plot Unfolds
Yet while Angela continued posting loving tributes and happy family pictures online, her deeply troubled younger son was secretly plotting her murder. Consumed by rage, much of which he vented on the online platform Discord, Roberts turned to artificial intelligence for tactical advice, specifically asking what weapon a 'non-experienced' killer should employ. Angela, who had been training to become a reflexologist, was first attacked inside the home they shared at Coniston Drive in Prestatyn late on October 23 last year.
Roberts then deceived his injured and terrified mother into leaving the house by falsely claiming he was taking her to receive urgent medical treatment. Instead, the teenager led her into the darkness of Coed y Morfa nature reserve and brutally bludgeoned her to death with a hammer he had purchased on Amazon for just £20. Police discovered a trail of blood stretching more than 100 meters the following morning, ultimately leading to Angela's body concealed among undergrowth approximately 20 feet from the nearest footpath.
Recorded Violence and Morbid Fascination
Roberts, who maintained a morbid fascination with serial killers, recorded the prolonged attack on a Dictaphone, and investigators captured audio of him stating: 'Oh God, that was terrifying, that felt so crazy.' An earlier message retrieved by police declared: 'This is Tristan Roberts. Tonight I'm going to murder my mother with a sledgehammer.' Mold Crown Court, where Roberts was subsequently jailed for life with a minimum term of 22-and-a-half years, heard how his behavior significantly deteriorated after the family's relocation to North Wales.
Prosecutors detailed how Angela had repeatedly attempted to secure professional help for her son, though these efforts met with limited success. Ethan, who had been studying as a university undergraduate, told the court emotionally: 'Not a day goes by where I don't question why. Why would he do that to her? All my mum ever did was love Tristan, she looked after him and put up with way more than anyone ever should have, but that was my mum - she would do anything for us, anything for him.'
Family Testimonies of Unwavering Love
Her sister, Sarah Gunther, addressed Roberts directly in court: 'As a close family, we all fought so hard to try and get you the help you needed, none of us ever gave up on you - Angela especially. We all showed you love and cared for you, and tried to include you in everything we did.' She later added: 'She had so many amazing qualities, but one of the greatest was the way she devoted herself to her boys. She was a fantastic and fiercely supportive mum, the kind who never gave up, no matter how hard life became. She fought tirelessly for them, and her love for them was unbreakable, a source of strength that carried her and her boys through every challenge.'
Psychological Assessment and Sentencing
Medical experts ultimately concluded that Roberts was not suffering from any significant mental disorder at the precise time of the killing. In the weeks preceding the murder, Roberts had written extensively on Discord about his 'hatred of women' and expressed feelings of being 'abandoned, betrayed and bullied'. He explicitly stated that he was killing his mother for 'revenge, justice, vengeance'.
Passing sentence, Judge Rhys Rowlands stated: 'It is clear to me that you both looked forward to inflicting pain and ultimately death upon your mother. In recording what you did on a dictaphone over several hours, you enjoyed what you were doing, exercising control over your mother in her last hours, no doubt revelling in what you did as you attacked her.' The case stands as a harrowing tragedy where a mother's boundless love collided with a son's descent into digital darkness and unimaginable violence.
