The judge considered the adolescent’s crime to be “particularly heinous” and sentenced him to 14 years in juvenile detention for the murder of a mother of two during a break-in.
The adolescent, who has already turned 19 years old, appeared before Brisbane Supreme Court today to be sentenced after entering a guilty plea to murder.
The teenager also entered a guilty plea to charges of conducting a malicious act with purpose, assault with bodily harm while in company, and armed burglary at night.
After receiving submissions from the prosecution and defense, Justice Tom Sullivan postponed making a sentence judgment for more than a week.
The adolescent and a fellow adolescent criminal were charged subsequent to the 2022 deadly stabbing of Emma Lovell at her north Brisbane residence.
At approximately 11.30 p.m. on Boxing Day, police claimed that the two 17-year-old youths had broken into a North Lakes home and assaulted Emma and her husband Lee.
While Lee was receiving treatment in a hospital for a knife wound, the mother of two was stabbed in the chest and later passed away.
It was previously reported before Justice Sullivan that the juvenile might receive a sentence of up to 14 years in jail if the offense was deemed to be “particularly heinous” or a maximum of 10 years.
Judge Sullivan discovered today that the adolescent satisfied this requirement because of his past criminal record and the fact that he attempted to stab Emma and Lee twice before dealing the final blow.
Justice Sullivan declared, “This offence was heinous and would create outrage in the community.”
In the past, Emma was stabbed by the teenager with such force that the knife blade broke, according to crown prosecutor David Nardone.
Justice Sullivan had already seen security footage of the teenager testing the front door and discovering that it was unlocked before going inside before his partner.
Not long later, the teenager got into a knife-wielding brawl with Emma and Lee.
When the co-offenders broke in, Kassie and Scarlett, the couple’s two teenage children, were also sleeping there.
The teenager kicked Lee multiple times in the head after stabbing Emma in the heart and Lee in the back.
According to Justice Sullivan, when police and paramedics came, the Lovells’ teenage girls were sobbing over their mother’s body.
To try and save her life, open heart surgery was done on the front lawn.
According to prior statements made by defense attorney Scott Lynch, the teenager was raised in a chaotic home, witnessed domestic abuse, and discovered his one and only close friend had committed suicide.
Fairness According to Sullivan, the adolescent had a lengthy but up until now peaceful criminal past that included sixteen break-ins.
Justice Sullivan declared, “You were not placed in custody for any of those offences.”
According to Justice Sullivan, the victim impact statements showed a “devastating” effect. “The Lovells were regular people living their lives as a family in a place where they had a right to feel safe.
That was totally breached by what happened, Judge Sullivan declared.
The minor will have to spend 500 days in custody on remand and fulfill at least 70% of the detention order with credit.
