Tristan Roberts, a UK teenager, has been given a life sentence for the murder of his mother, Angela Shellis, after months of planning the crime in online forums and consulting an AI tool for advice. Angela had spent 18 years caring for Tristan, who was diagnosed with autism and ADHD. Her love for him was described as “unbreakable.”
Roberts spent long hours on Discord, posting misogynistic content and fixating on violence and mass murderers. He used an unmonitored AI tool called DeepSeek to ask what weapons a “non-experienced” killer should use. When the AI refused, he claimed he was writing a book about serial killers, and it eventually told him a hammer would be the best weapon.
According to the Daily Mail, his preparations were detailed. On his 18th birthday, he bought a knife and disposable razors, with the cashier keeping a copy of his receipt out of concern. Two weeks later, he ordered a £20 mini sledgehammer from Amazon, which became the murder weapon. He also bought a balaclava, facemasks, overalls, and clingfilm.
Roberts used his mother’s final moments of trust against her to carry out the killing
The attack began around 11:00 PM on October 23 and lasted until 3:30 AM. Roberts held his 45-year-old mother prisoner in her bedroom, repeatedly hitting her with the hammer and strangling her. While still conscious, Angela pleaded with him to call 999 and even offered to tell police he hadn’t known what he was doing.
Roberts then convinced her to leave the house under the pretense of getting her injuries treated. He made her wear a balaclava and led her through a nature reserve on the pretense of a shortcut. There, he killed her with the sledgehammer. Discord has also been at the center of other widely discussed real-life stories, such as a woman meeting her Discord boyfriend in person for the first time, showing how deeply people build connections on the platform.
A son who murdered his mother jailed for life
— London & UK Street News (@CrimeLdn) March 25, 2026
Tristan Roberts,18 murder his mother in park in Prestatyn he used a hammer to kill his mother Angela Shellis, 45
Roberts used discord to say he killed his mother
He was jailed for minimum for 22 years today. pic.twitter.com/VqvcJB3kn8
After the murder, Roberts logged back onto Discord, writing, “I’ve just had the craziest day,” and described how he had attacked her. Angela’s body was found just after 8:30 AM. When her son Ethan messaged asking her to call so he knew she was alive, Roberts replied from her phone, “I think I am alive [laughing emoji].”
When arrested, Roberts calmly asked officers, “Is the body you found my mother?” His Discord accounts were repeatedly removed for policy violations, a pattern also seen in online communities facing misconduct controversies, but he created new ones, building up 16 different usernames.
Tristan Roberts, 18, has been jailed for life after luring his mother Angela Shellis to a park in Prestatyn and recording a four-hour attack that ended in her death.
— BPI News (@BPINewsOrg) March 25, 2026
The court heard he planned the killing, posted threats online and later boasted about it. #UKCourts pic.twitter.com/EiAH0QpfJz
In a victim impact statement, Ethan said he was “haunted” by anger and guilt, and that their mother “never gave up on him.” Her sister, Sarah Gunther, said Angela should be remembered as “a mum who never gave up, no matter what life threw at her.”
