Thomas Bednar guilty of murdering his mother Judy Bednar inside her Chelsea home

Thomas Bednar, who blamed his mother for having him admitted to a hospital for mental health treatment, has been found guilty of killing her in a “rage”.

Thomas Bednar has been found guilty over his mother’s murder.

A Melbourne man who was consumed by “rage” when he bashed his elderly mother to death inside her home has been found guilty of murder.

A Supreme Court jury on Tuesday found Thomas Bednar, 54, guilty of murdering his mother Judy Bednar, 78, who was found dead inside the bedroom of her Chelsea home in May last year.

Bednar, who maintained he was framed for his mother’s death, stood trial for nearly two weeks but it took a 12-person jury less than four hours to dismiss his lies and find him guilty.

During his closing address, prosecutor Mark Rochford KC said Bednar was consumed with “rage” towards his mother after he blamed her for having him involuntary admitted to Frankston Hospital for mental health treatment.

“Who had the antagonism against her? He did,” Mr Rochford said.

“He blamed her and you’ve got it – mass amounts of evidence.”

Judy Bednar was found dead inside the bedroom of her Chelsea home in May last year.

The trial heard Ms Bednar, who survived the Holocaust, was so concerned about her son’s deteriorating mental health that she wrote a letter to her local MP about eight months before her murder.

The letter included pictures of text messages from her son in which he called her a “bitch” and that it would not be long until “the sharks eat your flesh”.

Bednar also sent “paranoid” texts to friends including a threat to curse another family unless he received his inheritance.

Another read: “I’m sick of my mum making out as (if) I’m crazy”.

A family friend of both Bednars, Danny Cohen, told the court he was forced to call triple-0 in November 2020 when Bednar went to his mother’s home while she was inside and kicked in a window.

Months later, Bednar was recorded jumping his mother’s fence and tampering with her water main.

It took a jury 4 hours to find him guilty.

Bednar had previously claimed he was framed.

About 6.30am on May 13 last year, Bednar was captured on security footage wearing a hazmat suit, gloves and a backpack leaving his mother’s home.

Two days later, he was recorded returning to the home before leaving with a black garbage bag.

Later that day, Ms Bednar’s battered body was discovered laying facedown in her bedroom during a welfare check after concerned friends contacted police because she had not been seen for a number of days.

Mr Rochford said blood containing her DNA was found on hiking boots, a backpack and gloves which were found inside her son’s nearby home following his arrest.

Mr Bednar’s lawyer John Desmond told the court his client had always maintained he had been framed by Mr Cohen.

But Mr Rochford said suggestions Mr Cohen had murdered Ms Bednar and set-up her son were “completely preposterous”.

Bednar will return to the Supreme Court for a pre-sentence hearing on February 10.