- Tristan Roberts received a life sentence for the calculated hammer murder of his own mother.
- The eighteen year old killer spent weeks planning the assault and researching various methods of execution.
- Police discovered disturbing evidence of misogynistic views and a fixation on the film American Psycho.
A court in north Wales has sentenced 18-year-old Tristan Roberts to life imprisonment for the brutal killing of his mother. He must serve a minimum of 22 years and six months before being eligible for release. The teenager murdered Angela Shellis, a 45-year-old teaching assistant, using a hammer following a period of meticulous planning and dark digital activity.
According to prosecutors, Roberts developed an obsessive fascination with the horror movie American Psycho prior to the attack. He utilized the social media platform Discord to share violent intentions and images of the film’s blood-stained protagonist. His messages revealed deep-seated misogyny and a lack of trust in women, explicitly stating his desire to make his mother vanish.
The violence began on the evening of 23 October 2025, within their Prestatyn home. Investigators believe the teenager held Shellis captive in her bedroom for four hours, subjecting her to facial injuries and attempted strangulation. Under the false pretense of seeking medical attention, he eventually persuaded his injured mother to leave the house with him during the early morning hours.
Doorbell cameras captured the pair departing at 3:19am, heading toward a local nature reserve. Once there, Roberts used a hammer hidden in his rucksack to strike his mother repeatedly on the head. In a disturbing twist, the teenager used a dictaphone to record the assaults at both locations, even adopting a mysterious alter ego named Alex during the logs.
The discovery of the victim’s body in the undergrowth on 24 October sparked a major police investigation. Forensic teams found a 100-metre trail of blood leading to the site, along with discarded gloves, a balaclava, and a crutch Shellis needed for a leg injury. Despite claiming no comment during multiple police interviews, the evidence against him was overwhelming and carefully documented.
Officials highlighted that Roberts intentionally waited until his eighteenth birthday to legally purchase weapons, including an axe and hammers. After the murder, he was seen returning to the crime scene, potentially intending to use bleach to destroy forensic evidence. The prosecution described the crime as a calculated act carried out without a shred of remorse or concern.
