The distraught mother of a murder victim has described the overwhelming grief she feels after the "senseless" shooting of her treasured "buddy".
Jenny Walewicz's pain was laid bare in the ACT Supreme Court on Wednesday, when one of son Glenn Walewicz's killers, Gary Taylor, was sentenced to 10 years and three months in jail.
Justice David Mossop imposed a non-parole period of five-and-a-half years on Taylor, who had pleaded guilty to joint commission murder over the victim's June 2021 death in Phillip.
The confessed killer, from the NSW town of Baradine, sat with his head bowed in the dock as Mrs Walewicz's daughter read her victim impact statement to the court on her behalf.
Mrs Walewicz wrote about weekends spent hanging out with her only son, who was "suddenly and violently removed" from her life in a "devastating" fashion.
"Glenn's health wasn't the greatest, but I never imagined that he would die before me," Mrs Walewicz wrote in a heartbreaking statement.
"I have held onto his ashes because I am unsure that I will ever be ready to let him go. A mother should never have to feel this loss. My grief is overwhelming."
It was in June 2021 that one of Taylor's co-offenders, a juvenile who cannot legally be named, shot Mr Walewicz, 48, in the throat during a botched home invasion.
The court on Wednesday viewed CCTV footage that showed Taylor wielding a small tomahawk on the night in question, when he and his co-offenders had intended to steal money or illicit substances from two known drug dealers who lived near Mr Walewicz.
When he and the others mistakenly went to Mr Walewicz's door instead, the victim, described by Justice Mossop as "entirely innocent", paid the ultimate price.
While Taylor did not fire the fatal shot, he remained liable for murder because he agreed to carry out the home invasion and foresaw the possibility it could end in death.
Nearly two years on, the victim's grieving mother sometimes wanders around Canberra and visits the places she used to go with her son, who was also her best friend.
"I talk to him all the time," Mrs Walewicz wrote. "I wonder if people think I am crazy. I cry all the time."
Fiercely loyal to her son, who was at home with his girlfriend when he was shot, Mrs Walewicz has been ever-present in court during a series of cases linked to the killing.
In her statement, she described Mr Walewicz as "a kind of glue that kept the extended family together".
"Glenn was such a loud and in your face kind of person," she wrote.
"He brightened a room, and he was very kind. He had his failings, but everyone I have spoken to is extremely sad and they all miss him.
"I will never be the same Jenny. A part of me has died."
The court also heard directly from Taylor on Wednesday, when defence lawyer Taden Kelliher tendered a handwritten letter from the killer.
In the letter, Taylor, 24, told Justice Mossop he was "deeply sorry" for his part in the murder.
"Since I've been incarcerated, I have tried to turn my life around," he wrote.
Mr Kelliher told the court Taylor's remorse was also evident in the man's early guilty plea and the significant assistance he had provided authorities.
The lawyer was referring to the fact Taylor had pointed police to the murder weapon, which he had hidden under his mattress, then told detectives about the involvements of his co-offenders.
Prosecutor Anthony Williamson SC agreed Taylor's account had proven "instrumental" in convincing the shooter, who is yet to be sentenced, and his getaway driver to plead guilty.
But Mr Williamson also highlighted the "cowardly" nature of the offence, which took Mr Walewicz completely by surprise, and the nefarious reason Taylor had been at the scene.
Justice Mossop took Taylor's issues with drugs into account in sentencing, noting the killer had been introduced to methamphetamine during a "dysfunctional upbringing, marred by trauma".
He said the killer was under the influence of the drug, which a psychologist described as having impaired his ability to make rational decisions, at the time of the botched invasion.
The judge also addressed Taylor's assistance to the authorities in sentencing, awarding a 40 per cent discount in recognition of this and the 24-year-old's early guilty plea.
"There is a strong public interest in breaking the criminal culture of silence," he said.
The court heard Taylor, who is currently behind bars in Goulburn, had been threatened there and in the ACT, where he was previously on remand, because of his co-operation.
But Justice Mossop said Taylor was likely to be transferred soon to another NSW prison, where there would be less risk to his safety.
With Taylor's sentence backdated to start at the time of his June 2022 arrest, he will become eligible for parole in December 2027.
