Jeffrey Godfrey to be sentenced for manslaughter of estranged wife

The daughter of a man who killed his estranged wife in the midst of a meth-induced psychosis during a Sunshine Coast getaway has revealed the impact of his ‘horrific crime’.

Jeffrey and Vanessa Godfrey. Picture: Social media.

The daughter of a woman killed by her estranged and delusional husband during a meth induced psychosis has detailed the impact of the “horrific crime”.

Jeffrey James Godfrey, now 53, fatally strangled and stabbed Vanessa Godfrey on a weekend getaway on the Sunshine Coast in February 2022.

Despite being separated the pair were on good terms and witnesses observed them being affectionate during their three-night stay at a Pelican Waters resort.

Crown prosecutor Matt LeGrand told Brisbane’s Supreme Court that Godfrey had a background of heavy drug use and began using a gram of methamphetamine a day at age 40.

From late 2021 he became increasingly paranoid and delusional towards Vanessa, who separated from him six months before her death at age 46.

The pair were away together for a 60th birthday when Godfrey killed the mother of two.

The court heard that during the trip Godfrey lost his driver’s licence and Medicare card and believed Vanessa had taken them.

The following morning Vanessa asked him to rub some lotion on her neck and as she sat between his legs with her back turned Godfrey strangled her until she stopped breathing, the court heard

Mr LeGrand said Godfrey later thought he saw her breathing so he took a knife and cut her wrists.

He took some sleeping pills, continued drinking alcohol and made superficial cut to his own arms.

Hotel staff entered the room in the afternoon and found Vanessa’s body and called police.

Godfrey was arrested in the hotel room and made full admissions about what had occurred.

It was later determined he was in the grip of a drug-induced psychosis at the time stemming from his sustained use of meth with no evidence he had consumed it at the time of the killing.

The couple were married for 27 years and had two children together.

He was initially charged with murder which was referred to a mental health court and later downgraded to manslaughter (domestic violence) on the basis of diminished responsibility.

Mr LeGrand said Godfrey was to be sentenced on the basis he intended to kill Vanessa but at the time “he suffered an abnormality of mind that subsequently impaired his capacity to know that he ought not kill her”.

He pleaded guilty on Wednesday.

Vanessa’s daughter Olivia said her father’s actions had devastated the family.

“This horrific crime has continued to haunt me,” she told the court.

“The smell of my father’s cologne triggers me every single week as I feel traumatised day in and day out by this person and their inexcusable, childish choices.”

In the months leading up to the manslaughter the family desperately tried to seek help for the drug abusing Godfrey, she said.

“I lost my beautiful mother due to my father’s horrible choices and my caring father is now in a place I never saw him ending up,” she said.

Godfrey’s barrister Simon Lewis said the case highlighted how “insidious” meth was and while his client chose to use it “he didn’t choose to have a psychotic illness”.

“This is a level of psychiatric illness … including when he is not under the influence of the drug,” he said.

Mr Lewis said Godfrey’s delusions were very specific and targeted to Vanessa and not anybody else.

“This man doesn’t represent a risk to the community as a whole,” he said.

Mr LeGrand said Godfrey’s moral culpability was higher because the psychosis arose due to his “persistent illegal behaviour” in using meth.

Justice Glenn Martin discussed whether he should impose a declaration that the manslaughter was a serious violent offence which would see Godfrey have to serve 80 per cent of his sentence before parole.

“She had put herself in a vulnerable position no doubt because she had no idea that anything like this might happen,” Justice Martin said.

“While in that vulnerable position he then took advantage of her, killed her then because he thought she was breathing he committed further violence, why is that not a serious violent offence?”

Mr Lewis said because of his client’s mental impairment.

Justice Martin adjourned sentence to next Thursday.

Originally published as Jeffrey Godfrey to be sentenced for manslaughter of estranged wife