Shea Sturt’s chilling act after killing girlfriend Caitlin O’Brien during cannabis-induced psychosis
Caitlin O’Brien was a young nurse recovering from brain surgery when she was smothered to death by her boyfriend during a cannabis-induced psychosis — but what he did afterwards was just as shocking.
Police & Courts
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A young nurse recovering from brain surgery told her boyfriend she was scared he would murder her just hours before he smothered her to death with a pillow.
Shea Sturt, 33, admitted to killing Caitlin O’Brien during a cannabis-induced psychosis where he believed his partner of more than a decade was a “psychopath” who killed people and a witch from a Marvel movie.
In reality, Ms O’Brien, 31, was a passionate nurse who had weeks earlier survived the removal of a brain tumour, the Supreme Court on Monday heard.
Sturt pleaded guilty to stabbing at his girlfriend with scissors, suffocating her with a pillow before tying a pair of tracksuit pants tightly around her neck to make sure she was dead on June 25 last year.
He later told police on the morning of her murder, he confronted Ms O’Brien in their Gardenvale home saying: “You’ve been killing people”.
“Her face just went dead, it was like all the love had gone from everything and she was just defeated,” he said.
Immediately after her death, Sturt riffled through Ms O’Brien’s wallet and laid a bank card on her naked body to signify “you don’t owe me anymore”, a pre-sentence plea hearing heard.
The young nurse had been financially supporting Sturt, who had been unemployed for almost all of their relationship since the couple meet at TAFE as teenagers.
The court heard Ms O’Brien had suffered increasing physical and sexual violence at the hands of Sturt and colleagues would witness her crying at work and covered in bruises.
Sturt had been admitted to the Alfred for psychiatric care three times in the months leading up to Ms O’Brien’s murder.
His last admission was the day before she was killed.
Upon his release from hospital on June 23, the pair exchanged messages during which she admitted she was “scared”.
Asked by Sturt what she was scared of, she replied: “You murdering me”.
Later that night she texted a friend: “I’m so scared, I just want to run away”.
In the hours after Ms O’Brien’s death, Sturt walked around the city and sought advice from homeless people before telling two PSO officers – “you have to arrest me, I’ve just killed my girlfriend”.
Defence lawyer Tim Marsh said his client’s mental health had deteriorated substantially in the weeks leading up to the homicide and Sturt was suffering from powerful delusions, including the belief he was Jesus.
A forensic psychiatrist reported Sturt’s increased cannabis use only worsened his mental condition.
Mr Marsh argued if not for the drug-induced psychosis “it’s overwhelmingly likely that this offence would not have occurred”.
He said his client had shown profound levels of guilt, remorse and regret for his actions.
Sturt will be sentenced at a later date.
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