Queensland mother jailed for 12 years for strangling son during drug psychosis
A Queensland mother has been jailed for killing her vulnerable eight-year-old son with court hearing what police found inside the home where the boy died that tragic night. *Distressing.
A Queensland mother who killed her own child claimed family spirits had taken her eight-year-old son, a court has heard.
Louwanna Thyra Goltz, 40, strangled her boy, Zion Ziggy Sean Goltz, at their Waterloo Street, Berserker residence on or about July 29, 2022.
She was sentenced on Tuesday to 12 years prison with 1228 days presentence custody declared as time served.
Sighs of relief could be heard from police who were in the back of the courtroom when Justice Michael Copley announced the prison term.
Zion’s loved ones had phoned in to hear the outcome.
Justice Copley said the last time Zion was seen alive was between 3-3.40pm on July 29, 2022.
He said neighbours heard Goltz yelling about 7.30pm saying “go away, leave me alone, stop it and get out”.
Justice Copley said it was not clear if she was speaking to an actual person such as Zion, or responding to auditory hallucinations.
He said Goltz then attended a friend’s place about 11pm, rambling about a painting and sometime after midnight, made a reference to someone having “passed”.
Justice Copley said Goltz was dropped off at a relatives residence at 1.10am, at her request, and she told them she had been hearing voices, about “needing spiritual healing” and about a painting she had in her possession.
When asked about Zion, Goltz said he had gone “with the spirits” which sparked concern about the little boy and police were called.
Police arrived at Goltz’s unit at 2.20am and found Zion’s body in an upstairs bedroom, lying flat with his head on a pillow and sheet placed over his body by Goltz.
“Blood was seen on his lips and around his nose,” Justice Copley said.
“Police saw ligature marks on his neck.
“There were abrasions and bruises to his face.
“Some minor bruising to his torso and limbs was also observed.”
He said DNA material found under Zion’s fingernails had been deemed likely to have come from Goltz.
“So it seems that he fought for his life as (Goltz) strangled and possibly smothered him,” Justice Copley said.
He said the cause of death was strangulation with smothering possibly contributing too.
“The police were never able to locate the ligature that (Goltz) used to strangle (her) son,” Justice Copley said.
The court heard Goltz had originally been charged with murder but that was downgraded to manslaughter after the Mental Health Court determined she had diminished responsibility due to suffering a drug induced psychosis.
Justice Copley said the material provided showed this was caused by Goltz’s long-term use of marijuana, meaning it was a “self-inflicted” mental illness which substantially impaired her capacity.
He said neighbours had heard her yelling and swearing for hours four days before Zion’s death and she was found in the early hours of the morning, walking barefoot in the middle of Yeppoon Road by police who she told she had been in argument and dropped at the road after “some woman” punched her in the face.
Goltz had scratches on her face which she told officers were because she was itchy.
Queensland legislation requires she serves at least 80 per cent before being eligible for parole – she will have to serve 9.5 years before a parole application is considered by the Queensland Parole Board.
Justice Copley ordered a conviction for a serious violence offence be recorded.
Killer mum ‘significant risk’ of returning to drugs, psychosis and violence
A Queensland mother who killed her eight-year-old son after hearing voices telling her to do so “has chronically poor Judgement” and is of significant risk of returning to drug use, psychosis and violence, a court has heard.
Louwanna Thyra Goltz, 40, strangled her boy, Zion Ziggy Sean Goltz, at their Waterloo Street, Berserker residence on or about July 29, 2022.
Crown prosecutor Joshua Phillips told Rockhampton Supreme Court on Monday Zion was born prematurely and struggled for breath.
“It is incomprehensible that his short life ended struggling again for breath,” Mr Phillips said, explaining Goltz, who was in a drug induced psychosis when she strangled her youngest child to death, had heard voices telling her to kill him.
“She defied the natural law which commands every mother and every parent to protect their child” and Zion’s “life ended horribly and dramatically”, with no other people with him and “no protectors”, he said.
The court heard Goltz had “thumbed her nose” at medical help throughout her life, started using drugs in her early teens, had “ongoing cravings for cannabis while in custody” and “expressed to medical professionals (her) intention to cease medication when it feels right to her”.
Mr Phillips said a consulting psychiatrist has deemed “Goltz’s insight and Judgement are chronically poor and there is a significant risk of returning to cannabis and alcohol use”.
He said the only thing standing between Goltz and another psychotic episode was her promise to stay medicated and away from drugs, which she had not done.
The court heard from Zion’s paternal grandmother, Sharon Holmes, who read out a victim impact statement on her behalf and that of her husband and Zion’s three siblings.
She told the court Zion’s father Tim O’Halloran had been “tormented” that he had not been able to help Zion, was “heartbroken” and “the guilt was overwhelming”.
Ms Holmes said Tim died from an accidental drug overdose in November 2022.
Defence barrister Scott Moon said ever since his client’s younger brother died by suicide when he was a teenager and Goltz was 21, she claimed she was hearing voices including that of her deceased brother.
He said the tragic death of her brother caused her to increase her consumption of cannabis and alcohol.
Mr Moon said Goltz’s father died when she was in year five and she grew up exposed to alcohol abuse, neglect and family violence.
He said she started consuming cannabis in her early teenage year’s having found it “relaxed her”.
According to court documents viewed by this publication after Gotlz’s arrest, one of the witnesses told police Ms Goltz allegedly told her she had been lying down with Zion watching television, and a voice told her to kill him “because child safety would take him away and she herself would end up in a body bag”.
The documents also stated Goltz wrote “protect Zion from Satan” on an artist canvas with family and witnesses telling police they had heard Goltz yelling incoherently in the month prior to Zion’s death and heard her speaking in an unknown language and screaming “f*** off” in the two weeks prior.
Police attended the Waterloo Street unit Goltz shared with her son to perform a welfare check about 2.20am on Saturday, July 30, and officers found the eight-year-old boy unresponsive.
Mr Phillips said Goltz, who has a seven-page criminal record, was on probation at the time.
Mr Moon said his client wanted him to pass on her apology “for what has occurred” and said that “no amount of words can express the hurt that has come from her actions”.
He said she wished every day that what had happened to Zion didn’t occur and that he was still here with everyone.
Goltz entered a plea of guilty to one count of manslaughter on Monday with Justice Michael Copley adjourning the proceedings part heard until Tuesday.
She has been remanded in custody.
