Tristan Roberts, 18, has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his mother, Angela Shellis, after investigators discovered he had used an AI chatbot to seek advice on how to carry out the killing. Roberts attacked and killed Shellis, 45, with a hammer at Morfa Nature Reserve in Prestatyn, Wales, in the early hours of October 24, 2025. Her body was found by dog walkers beneath undergrowth, following a trail of blood on a gravel path.
Police identified Roberts quickly after a neighbor’s doorbell camera captured him leaving the house with his mother around 3:00 AM. As detailed by LADbible, the subsequent investigation uncovered disturbing online activity spanning a period before the killing. Roberts had also been recording the ordeal on a dictaphone, which police say indicated he kept Shellis confined to her room for nearly four hours after a first attack, before convincing her the two were going to seek medical help.
The pair left together, with Shellis wearing a balaclava, and walked to the nature reserve. The recording captured her final moments and Roberts’ comments immediately after, in which he could be heard saying, “Oh God, that was terrifying, that felt so crazy… I just killed her… job’s done.”
Roberts manipulated the AI by claiming he was writing a book
Roberts had entered queries into an AI chatbot describing himself as an “inexperienced killer” and requesting advice. When the chatbot initially declined to respond, he bypassed its refusal by framing his request as research for a book. Questions about technology producing harmful outcomes have featured in multiple cases this week, including a robot that injured a child at a public event in China after malfunctioning in front of a crowd.
Police also found a note on Roberts’ laptop in which he blamed his mother for what he described as a life defined by “abandonment, betrayal, bullied, nearly froze to death.” He wrote that he needed to “take the weight off my back” and that there was “no use living anymore” if he did not go through with it.
On Discord, accounts linked to Roberts showed a pattern of misogynistic posts and expressions of violent intent. He had been banned from the platform multiple times for violating its terms of conduct and returned each time by creating new accounts.
A Discord spokesperson said the company was “deeply saddened by the circumstances surrounding this case” and that it does not tolerate violence, combining technology and human-led investigations to identify and remove harmful content. Platform accountability for harm caused to users has been drawing increased legal scrutiny, including a jury ruling against Meta over harm caused to children on its platforms.
On the night of the murder, Roberts updated his Discord status to “Tonight’s the night.” Following the killing he messaged, “I’ve just had the craziest day.” Roberts initially gave no comment to police before pleading guilty. A court in Mold sentenced him to life with a minimum term of 22 and a half years.
Judge Rhys Rowlands noted that Roberts, who had been diagnosed with autism and ADHD, was “not suffering from any significant mental disorder such as would have had a substantial impact upon your behaviour at the time you killed your mother,” and that medical professionals had advised he “would have known what you were doing and been able to exercise self control.”
Published: Mar 26, 2026 01:30 pm