Teenager Sentenced to Life for Brutal Hammer Murder of His Mother
A teenager obsessed with fictional serial killers has been sentenced to life in prison for murdering his own mother in a gruesome sledgehammer attack that he recorded over more than four hours. Tristan Roberts, 18, posted chilling messages online before carrying out his threats, likening himself to television character Dexter and The American Psycho, Mold Crown Court heard.
Chilling Online Messages and Premeditation
The court heard that Roberts, who lived alone with his victim Angela Shellis after his brother returned to university, had posted on the Discord app that his mother would 'vanish off the face of the earth' and he would make it 'brutal'. He also posted misogynistic messages about 'hating' and 'not trusting' women. Despite his mother's efforts to get him help for autism and ADHD, he wrote that he wanted to kill her out of 'revenge, justice and vengeance'.
In the weeks leading up to the murder, Roberts bought weapons online along with protective clothing and spent hours researching methods of killing, removing traces of blood and DNA, and disposing of a body. Prosecutor Andrew Thomas KC described extensive pre-planning lasting several weeks before the attack.
The Sustained Attack and Recording
The brutal assault began at the family home in Prestatyn around 11pm on 23 October last year when Angela, 45, was struck with a hammer and strangled. Roberts recorded himself stating: 'This is the moment - we are doing it - we are going to hit her with a sledgehammer.' At around 3.30am on 24 October, he walked her to a nearby nature reserve and continued recording as she screamed and pleaded for her life before falling silent when he delivered a fatal hammer blow to her head.
After the murder, he recorded himself saying: 'oh god that was terrifying - that felt so crazy' before complaining about hand pain and adding 'I just killed her' and 'Job's done.' He then posted on Discord under the username 'tonight's the night', boasting about the murder with graphic details.
Sentencing and Judge's Remarks
Jailing him on Wednesday, His Honour Judge Rowlands described it as a 'truly awful way for anyone to die, made all the more dreadful by the fact that her attacker was her own son'. Roberts was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 22 and a half years. The judge noted that Roberts 'looked forward to inflicting pain and ultimately death upon your mother' and 'enjoyed what you were doing, exercising control over your mother in her last hours'.
Judge Rowlands added: 'She must have been truly terrified in these the last minutes of her life.' He described Angela Shellis as a 'much-loved mother and sibling and a respected teacher with much of her life still ahead of her'.
Family Impact and Aftermath
In a victim impact statement, Ethan Richards, the victim's other son, said: 'My family will never be whole again. Not a day goes by I question why. All my mum ever did was love Tristan.' He added that while he believes Roberts is not mentally well, 'He can not ever be in public if he doesn't start taking responsibility for what he did to mum and the wider family.'
Angela's sister Sarah Gunther stated: 'Angela showed you love and care. I just wish if you didn't want to live under the same roof, this could have been resolved in so many other ways.' She described the family as broken and expressed hope that Roberts would eventually understand the consequences of his actions.
The court heard that Roberts even messaged his brother from his mother's phone after the murder, falsely claiming she was okay when concerns were raised about her whereabouts. He was arrested later that day, and the victim's body was found by a walker in undergrowth where Roberts had abandoned it.
