Rekiah O’Donnell’s killer Nelson Lai could be free in just over five years

A KILLER who shot his girlfriend in the head at close range after threats and bashings, but was acquitted of murder, could be free in just over five years.

A KILLER who shot his girlfriend in the head at close range but was acquitted of murder has been jailed for just 9½ years.

Nelson Lai’s violent history was well known in the lead up to Rekiah O’Donnell’s killing with a string of convictions for beating women and a shocking history for breaching court orders.

Ms O’Donnell’s family, friends and supporters today looked devastated as Lai’s sentence was handed down.

She was 22 and had her whole life ahead of her when she was fatally shot by Lai, an abusive thug who had physically and mentally tortured her during a volatile relationship.

Despite admitting to regularly bashing her and once threatening to kill her Lai, 36, always claimed he didn’t mean to kill Ms O’Donnell when he shot her in the head in October 2013.

Justice Michael Croucher today opened his sentence highlighting Ms O’Donnell’s killing was an accident.

BOYFRIEND’S TORTURE: Haunting letter to her ex

THREATS: History of violence, abuse

OTHER VICTIMS: Lai a serial women beater

CAMPAIGN: Call for reforms after shooting deaths

“I am not satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Lai deliberately aimed the revolver at Ms O’Donnell’s head,” he said.

He said the jury had also failed to reject Mr Lai’s version of events.

“Once I as the finder of fact am fixed with the jury’s finding...I cannot reject the possibility of the truth of his account on other significant matters.”

They included that Lai and Ms O’Donnell hadn’t been fighting in the lead up to her killing and that he had successfully unloaded the gun before pulling the trigger numerous times.

“There is no evidence he was intending to threaten or intimidate her on this occasion.

“I’m satisfied Mr Lai is remorseful for his criminal and negligent actions in killing Ms O’Donnell.”

Justice Croucher found Mr Lai was unlikely to reoffend in a similar way but that hit prospects of rehabilitation were only fair to reasonable.

In the lead up to her killing Ms O’Donnell had begged Lai to seek help, once providing him with a brochure on domestic violence.

“I had knives held to my head, punches thrown, kicks to the stomach and death threats continually,” she told him in a letter before her death.

“I plead with you Nelson, I plead, please, please call somebody.

Please just call somebody and tell them the truth,” she begged.

“You deserve so much more baby, you deserve better. So does the next woman who comes along.

“So beautiful and caring you can be. So ignorant and spiteful you can also be. I know who you can be and I know who you want to be.”

Lai argued that while coming down from an ice-induced high he picked up a revolver and pulled the trigger not knowing it was loaded.

He said he had never fired a gun and was minding the weapon used to kill his girlfriend for a friend.

A Supreme Court jury believed him, finding him not guilty of murder.

Instead they found him guilty of manslaughter following just a day of deliberations at the end of an almost month-long trial.

Immediately after the shooting, which was heard by his Lai’s parents who were home at the time, Lai tried to resuscitate Ms O’Donnell and phoned 000.

“I shot my girlfriend in the head by accident,” Mr Lai told a 000 operator.

“I didn’t know there was anything in it (the gun).”

He admitted to regularly punching, kicking and belting her during their volatile relationship because of drug-induced paranoia.

“I’d often become sort of jealous and paranoid that something was going on and I guess it was fuelled by my drug use and that would in turn make it worse than what it probably was,” he said.

On one occassion he warned her: “My mission will be complete when you’re gone, slut. One day you’ll feel the full force of my hand you f---ing dog slut.”

He also told her: “You’re f---ed. I’m going to make it my life mission. I’ll kill you, rat.”

But describing her killing, Lai told the jury on the morning he shot her dead, he didn’t know the gun he pointed at her head was loaded.

“The gun went off and I heard a thump on the ground, so I crawled over to the edge of my bed and saw her laying there on the floor and I saw her holding her head and I yelled out -f---’,” he said.

“I would never have pulled the trigger if I knew the gun was loaded, just not even - not in the house.”

Lai will be eligible for parole after six years and 11 months.

BOYFRIEND’S TORTURE: Haunting letter to her ex

THREATS: History of violence, abuse

OTHER VICTIMS: Lai a serial women beater

CAMPAIGN: Call for reforms after shooting deaths