Mother's Fears Documented in Phone Notes Before Son's Murderous Attack
Angela Shellis, a 45-year-old respected teacher, spent her final days recording her escalating anxieties in her phone's notes app as she witnessed her 18-year-old son, Tristan Roberts, descend into a dark and dangerous obsession. The mother of two became increasingly alarmed by Roberts' behaviour, especially after discovering he had purchased a knife from The Range and a hammer from Amazon, which he later used in the fatal assault on her.
In one poignant entry, Angela wrote: "Why?? What does he need these for? Is he planning to hurt me, himself, what?" She added, "Who? Why? FFS." Her concerns deepened just days before the attack when she noted, "OMG... I did not sleep well at all... and Tristan kept coming into my room too - why? Am I safe in my room tonight?"
Teen's Violent Fantasies on Discord and Obsession with Serial Killers
Unbeknownst to Angela, Roberts was actively sharing his violent fantasies on the messaging app Discord, where he boasted about standing over his sleeping mother with a hammer. Obsessed with serial killers and fictional psychopaths like Patrick Bateman from American Psycho and the TV character Dexter, Roberts used the platform to express his hatred of women. His disturbing musings culminated in a horrific attack in October, where he tortured his mother for four hours, a tragedy foreshadowed by Angela's own documented fears.
Angela's elder son, Ethan, who was away at university, shared these apprehensions and installed wireless cameras in the family home. Roberts made no secret of his murderous intentions, with his online posts becoming increasingly explicit leading up to the killing. Loved ones remembered Angela as "a mum who never gave up" despite her son's concerning and disruptive behaviour.
Premeditated Plans and AI Chatbot Consultations
In court, it was revealed that Roberts' plans for "revenge" against his mother began at least three weeks before the attack. He consulted an AI chatbot for advice on weapons suitable for a "non-experienced" killer and pretended to be writing a novel when his inquiries were questioned. Roberts, diagnosed with autism and ADHD, chillingly told Discord users, "I can kill her bare-handed. I only want to make it brutal and make sure I don't mess up with an axe."
On 23 October last year, Roberts enacted his warped fantasies at their family home in Prestatyn. Angela, who had a leg injury and relied on crutches, was particularly vulnerable as the assault began around 11pm. Roberts attacked her with a hammer and strangled her, recording the entire ordeal on a dictaphone. In the audio, he declared, "This is the moment - we are doing it - we are going to hit her with a sledgehammer." Angela's pleas for him to call 999 were ignored.
Fatal Blow and Aftermath in Morfa Nature Reserve
In the early hours of 24 October, around 3.30 am, Roberts led Angela to the local Morfa nature reserve, guiding her through residential areas and across a railway line. At a secluded spot, he instructed her to sit on a bench and began speaking in an American accent, part of a perverse role play. Angela begged for mercy, but Roberts heartlessly continued recording. He then delivered a single hammer blow to her head, fracturing her skull and causing severe blunt force trauma, as confirmed by Home Office pathologist Dr Brian Rodgers.
After Angela's death, Roberts remarked on the recording, "Oh god, that was terrifying - that felt so crazy" before complaining about his hand hurting. He proclaimed, "I just killed her" and added, "job's done." He dragged her body 100 metres into undergrowth and attempted to conceal his actions by sending messages from her phone.
Boasts on Discord and Swift Arrest
Upon returning home, Roberts logged into Discord under the username 'tonight's the night' and boasted about the murder in graphic detail: "Just had the craziest day ever - beat the s*** out of her. Took her to the forest. She kept chatting s*** so smashed her skull in so hard with sledgehammer I couldn't see her face anymore. Took her by ankles and took her into deep forest."
Angela's body was found later that day in the undergrowth next to a footpath. Roberts was quickly identified as a suspect, arrested at his home, and charged with murder four days later. Last month, he pleaded guilty to murder at Mold Crown Court.
Sentencing and Judge's Remarks
This week, His Honour Judge Rowlands sentenced Roberts at Mold Crown Court, noting that the defendant may have taken the recording as a twisted trophy and describing it as a "truly awful way for anyone to die." He told Roberts, "This fortunately, is an extremely unusual case, in as much as it is clear to me that you both looked forward to inflicting pain and ultimately death upon your mother and that, in recording what you did on a dictaphone over several hours, you enjoyed what you were doing, exercising control over your mother in her last hours, no doubt revelling in what you did as you attacked her, ignoring her pleas for you to stop and to obtain assistance. She must have been truly terrified in these the last minutes of her life."
In a note on his laptop a week before the murder, Roberts detailed his longing for "vengeance," declaring he was "not Tristan Roberts, but Alex." He wrote of his life as a "s***show of f****** hell, just hell, abandonment, betrayal, bullied, nearly froze to death, physical effort, suffering," blaming one person, not himself, for his woes.
Despite Roberts' disturbing fantasies, Angela adored her sons. One of her social media posts read, "Home is where my boys are." She also expressed, "I will never understand how some parents live every day knowing they have a child out there they rarely bother about and just get on with their life without a care in the world."
