Tristan Roberts, an 18-year-old who expressed misogynistic views and was fascinated with the film American Psycho, 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, 45, was killed with a hammer in a carefully planned attack at their home in Prestatyn, north Wales, last October.
Roberts researched methods of killing and how to evade capture, purchasing potential weapons including knives, hammers and an axe. On the night of 23 October 2025, he began attacking Shellis at home, then persuaded her to leave for medical help. In a nature reserve, he struck her multiple times on the head with a hammer from his rucksack. He recorded the attacks on a dictaphone, both at home and at the scene, and later posted on Discord: 'I’ve just had the craziest day.'
In the weeks before the murder, Roberts had posted a still from American Psycho with the message 'i got urges' and described his plan as 'gonna be some american psycho sht haha'. He also wrote 'i do hate girls … girls/women i also dont trust them' and 'she is gonna just vanish off the earth'. He asked an AI chatbot which weapon was better for murder, circumventing safeguards by claiming he was writing a book about serial killers.
On the day of the murder, Roberts recorded a voice note saying 'Tonight, I’m going to be Alex and I’m going to murder my mother with a sledgehammer.' After the killing, he said 'Oh God that was terrifying … That felt so crazy.' Police found Shellis’s body in undergrowth with a 100-metre blood trail, along with gloves, a balaclava and her crutch. Doorbell footage showed mother and son leaving home at 3.19am. Roberts had turned 18 ten days earlier, enabling him to legally buy some of the weapons.
In court, Judge Rhys Rowlands said Roberts 'appeared to have revelled in the control' he exerted over his mother, calling her death 'a truly awful way for someone to die'. The victim’s elder son, Ethan Roberts, said 'All my mum ever did was love Tristan.' Her sister Sarah Gunther described her as 'a fantastic and fiercely supportive mum'. Andrew Slight of the Crown Prosecution Service said the planning was 'elaborate and calculated', and Roberts showed 'no concern or remorse'.
