Planned Murder of Mother by Son with Violent Obsession
A mother was fatally assaulted in a premeditated attack by her teenage son, who harbored hatred toward women and was fixated on violence and serial killers.
Tristan Roberts, from Prestatyn, Denbighshire, waited until he turned 18 to acquire the weapons he used to kill his mother, including knives, hammers, and axes.
He publicly declared his intent to kill 45-year-old Angela Shellis on the social media platform Discord.
Roberts, who admitted guilt to murder in an earlier proceeding, was sentenced at Mold Crown Court to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 22 and a half years. He recorded the extended assault on a Dictaphone and, following the murder, responded to a message from his brother on his mother's mobile phone, stating she was asleep in bed.
Warning: This article contains distressing details.
Sarah Gunther, Angela Shellis's sister, addressed Roberts, saying:
"I hope in time you can come to understand the full consequences of your actions, and the pain and devastation they have caused to so many people."
Angela, described by family as a "loved daughter, sister, mum and aunty," was using a crutch at the time of her death due to a knee injury.
On the morning of 25 October 2025, her body was discovered by dog walkers at approximately 08:30 at Morfa Nature Reserve near Prestatyn.
Police found a blood trail extending over 100 meters (330 feet) along a gravel path leading to the body, which was concealed in undergrowth.
A crutch was located nearby, along with a blood-soaked balaclava and a pair of gloves.
Authorities were initially unable to identify the victim until a relative called expressing concern for Angela's safety after reports of a woman's body being found. During the call, it was disclosed that she used a crutch.
At about 13:25, police arrested Roberts at his home. Over four days, he was interviewed nine times, responding "no comment" to all questions.
On 28 October, Roberts was charged with murder. Investigations were just beginning to uncover the extent of his violent intentions and the meticulous planning behind his mother's death.
'Tonight I'm going to murder my mother with a sledgehammer'
Police discovered that Roberts spent several hours daily online, posting misogynistic and violent messages, primarily on Discord.
He developed a disturbing fascination with fictional serial killers such as Dexter and Patrick Bateman from American Psycho.
Despite being banned from Discord multiple times for violating conduct rules, he returned under 16 different aliases. Among his posts were statements like: "I do hate girls… I also don't trust them." On the night of the murder, he changed his profile status to: "Tonight's the night."
During a search of Angela's home, police found her mobile phone and a Dictaphone hidden in a wardrobe. The Dictaphone, purchased weeks earlier along with the weapons, contained recordings made by Roberts.
The initial message recorded stated: "This is Tristan Roberts. Tonight I'm going to murder my mother with a sledgehammer."
Authorities also recovered a recording lasting several hours, documenting the initial violent assault on Angela in her bedroom. She was held captive there for nearly four hours, with her son threatening her with a hammer and disregarding her repeated pleas for help.
Eventually, around 03:00, Angela was convinced to leave the house under the pretense of receiving medical assistance at a local pub, only after being forced to wear a balaclava.
Ring doorbell footage from a neighbor shows Roberts leading his mother from their home at 03:19.
By 03:30, CCTV footage captured the pair walking along Sandy Lane railway crossing, with Angela visibly struggling over the uneven terrain. Roberts carried a rucksack containing the murder weapon.
Upon arrival at the nature reserve, Roberts instructed his mother to sit on a bench. Police believe Angela saw Roberts retrieve a hammer from his bag, as she began screaming on the audio recording. She died from repeated blows to the head.
Roberts is heard on the recording saying, "oh God, that was terrifying, that felt so crazy…I just killed her…job's done."
The 18-year-old then dragged his mother's body along the gravel path before discarding it in brambles and throwing away her crutch. He was seen by the same cameras returning home alone at 05:35.
At 06:26, Roberts was observed walking back toward the nature reserve, swinging a white plastic bag believed by police to contain ammonia and other chemicals used to clean blood from the park. However, early morning dog walkers forced him to return home.
Later that morning, Roberts logged onto Discord and boasted about his actions, making repeated graphic references to the violence inflicted and injuries caused.
At around 11:00, Roberts' older brother, Ethan Roberts, attempted to contact their mother. Tristan replied from Angela's mobile phone, stating everything was fine except for having a cold. Ethan messaged back, "just call me for a second... so that I know you are alive." Tristan responded, "I think I am alive" followed by a laughing emoji.
Angela, a qualified teacher, worked as a teaching assistant at Rhyl High School to have more time with her family.
She had relocated to north Wales from the Luton area after separating from her husband, the father of her two sons. Her older son was attending university at the time of her death.
Angela had also wished to be closer to her sister, Sarah Gunther.
Gunther addressed her nephew directly:
"Tristan, I wanted to look into your eyes today and say this to you. The impact of your actions in taking Angela from us all, is something we now have to live with every single day.
As a close family, we all fought so hard to try and get you the help you needed, none of us ever gave up on you - Angela especially. We all showed you love and cared for you, and tried to include you in everything we did.
It is incredibly hard to express our feelings towards you now. There is anger, confusion, and heartbreak, but for me personally, there is still care there too for you.
I just wish that if you felt you didn't want to live under the same roof as Angela you had considered that it could have been resolved in so many other ways, without going to the extreme of taking her away from everyone who loved her."
A statement from Angela's older son, Ethan, was read in court on his behalf. It stated:
"On that Friday morning when I tried to talk to mum, I knew then that something was wrong.
At the time I could not comprehend the reality of what had actually happened, I knew something had happened but could never have imagined Tristan could of done this. I knew from the messages that it wasn't my mum. I was begging for her to call me and I knew, had it truly been her, that she would answer me in an instant.
Not a day goes by where I don't question why. Why would he do that to her? All my mum ever did was love Tristan, she looked after him and put up with way more than anyone ever should have, but that was my mum – she would do anything for us, anything for him, she's the only person that's ever done anything and everything for Tristan his whole life and he's the one who's took her from us all."
He added that the stress caused by the incident forced him to temporarily withdraw from university.
Killing for 'revenge, justice, vengeance'
Mold Crown Court heard that Tristan Roberts had diagnoses of autism and ADHD and a history of disruptive behavior. His conduct worsened after relocating with his mother and older brother to Prestatyn in 2021.
Prosecutors stated that Angela had repeatedly sought help for her son, with limited success. Roberts was an inpatient at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd for a period. After discharge, he experienced homelessness before returning to live with his mother.
In September 2024, Roberts was arrested for possession of a knife in a public place and charged with shop theft. In February 2025, he was placed on a six-month referral order.
The court was informed that Angela grew increasingly fearful for her safety, sharing concerns with professionals, friends, and in her diary. She wrote about discovering "a black balaclava, black leggings, leather type gloves, huge army backpack - sleeps with it...concealed hammer in his room."
In the weeks before the murder, Roberts wrote about his "hatred of women" as a motive. In another message, he expressed feelings of being "abandoned, betrayed and bullied," blaming his mother.
He stated that he was killing her for "revenge, justice, vengeance" and to move forward with his life.
What is Discord?
Discord is an online chat service enabling users to create and join groups based on shared interests. It reports having over 200 million monthly users.
Launched in 2015, it is widely used by gamers and others to organize group activities, allowing conversations to be divided into searchable "channels."
Users can join groups, or servers, with no limit on membership.
