Tristan Roberts, 18, has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 22 years and six months for the murder of his mother, Angela Shellis, in Prestatyn, north Wales.
Roberts, who expressed misogynistic views and was fascinated with the film American Psycho, carefully planned the attack. He researched killing methods and purchased weapons including knives, a hammer, and an axe.
On the night of 23 October, he attacked his mother at their home and later persuaded her to walk to a nature reserve, where he struck her multiple times on the head with a hammer. He recorded the attacks on a dictaphone.
In the weeks before the murder, Roberts posted disturbing messages on Discord, including a still from American Psycho with the caption “i got urges.” He also asked an AI chatbot for advice on choosing between a hammer and a knife for murder.
After the killing, Roberts returned home and was arrested the next day when his mother’s body was found. He showed no remorse, answering “no comment” to all police questions.
Sentencing him at Mold Crown Court, Judge Rhys Rowlands described the crime as “truly awful” and noted that Roberts “revelled in the control you exerted over your own mother.”
