A mother's final hours of agony were captured on a dictaphone recording made by her son as he tortured and killed her with a hammer. Angela Shellis, 18, was subjected to a four-hour ordeal by her son Tristan Roberts, who had immersed himself in a toxic online world of violence and misogyny.
Roberts, who had been diagnosed with autism and ADHD, compared himself to fictional killers Patrick Bateman and Dexter as he plotted the murder on Discord. He purchased a hammer and knife after seeking advice from an AI chatbot, pretending he was writing a book when his queries were rejected.
On October 23 last year, Roberts began his attack at the family home in Prestatyn, striking Angela with a hammer and strangling her. He then walked her to a nature reserve, where he continued to record her pleas for mercy before delivering fatal blows to her head.
After the killing, Roberts complained that his hand hurt and said 'Job's done'. He attempted to cover his tracks by sending messages in his mother's name. He was quickly identified as a suspect and later convicted of murder.
Angela Shellis was remembered as a devoted mother who never gave up on her troubled son. The court heard that the audio recording was too distressing to play during proceedings.
