A deluded teen who murdered his mother believed he was carrying out ‘Gods will’

A teenager who murdered his mother claimed he was carrying out “God’s will” and planned to blow up bridges and steal police cars.

A teenager who brutally murdered his mother in a deluded plot to stop communism and restore Christian values in Australia claimed he was carrying out “God’s will”, a court has heard.

Hours after sitting down with his mother, 41, and younger brother for dinner, the boy, then 15, entered her bedroom on the evening of April 5, 2023, armed with a cricket bat and knife.

The defenceless woman was bashed with the bat and knifed 98 times before her son fled with her car, intending to head to the Grampians where he would raise a paramilitary group to kill communists, take over Australia and restore Christian values.

The killing was the first step of a plan, dubbed “Operation Continuity”, which was allegedly devised with a school friend and involved recruiting other classmates, obtaining military gear and committing acts of violence, including blowing up a bridge and stealing police cars.

Now 17, the teen faced the second day of a pre-sentence hearing in the Supreme Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to his mother’s murder.

The boy’s mother was still alive when emergency services arrived, telling them her son had stabbed her. Picture: Valeriu Campan

The victim and her son cannot be identified because of his age.

The court earlier heard the teen, who has autism, shared a rare induced delusional disorder with his school friend, with the pair claiming to have received messages from God telling them to carry out the operation.

Forensic psychiatrist David Thomas, who assessed the boy, told the court the shared delusions were reinforced by their close relationship, and the disorder was common in cults.

The teen later expressed regret to Dr Thomas, telling him he was “caught in an echo chamber” and believed he was carrying out “God’s will”.

“It got very distorted. We believed we were Christians but looking back on it now, we were not Christians,” he said.

“At the time, we believed what we did was God’s will.”

In the months leading up to the murder, the boy and his friend allegedly shared thousands of messages, detailing their desire to kill their parents and their plans for the operation.

The friend allegedly described having feelings of “homicidal rage” while the victim’s son encouraged him to hold it together and wait until they put their plan into action.

“Would you rather kill him now and have momentary satisfaction, or would you rather wait and torture him for however long you want to and have much more satisfaction for longer?” one message said.

Homicide Squad detectives investigating the death of the woman Picture: Valeriu Campan,

In her submissions on Thursday, defence barrister Amy Brennan said the messages were confronting.

“The community would be understandably shocked and potentially appalled by some of the things that were said ... by these two young people,” she said.

But the killing was not politically or ideologically motivated, instead carried out to stop her from thwarting their plans, she said.

She asked Justice James Elliott to take into account her client’s remorse, neurodivergence and youth when considering his sentence.

Crown prosecutor Daniel Porceddu said the woman had provided every opportunity for her son, including extra-curricular activities and support for his autism.

“(She) was a devoted mother who loved and cared for (her son),” he said.

“The attack was entirely unprovoked and against a defenceless person.”

The boy, who is in custody, will be sentenced at a later date.