By Alesha Capone
A man who pleaded guilty to murdering his mother in their Werribee house has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, with a minimum of 14 years before he will become eligible for parole.
Jamie Ian Willis received the sentence in the Supreme Court last month (June 20), for killing his mother, Caroline Willis.
Willis, 39, stabbed Caroline, 70, to death in their Taworri Crescent residence on May 24 last year.
Justice Lex Lasry said that on May 21 last year, an interim intervention order was issued against Willis, which required him to leave the residence.
The court heard that Caroline’s application for the intervention order said Willis was committing “family violence” against her including “verbal abuse, controlling behaviour and intimidation”. The application alleged that Willis had stolen Caroline’s credit cards and her driver’s licence.
A few hours after police served the intervention order, Willis returned home and stabbed Caroline 19 times in her torso, upper limbs and left leg.
Justice Lasry said Caroline also sustained rib fractures and multiple blunt force injuries to the head and neck.
After Willis stabbed his mother, he left the house and used methamphetamine.
The court heard that afterwards, Willis told police that four men had attended the house, held him at gunpoint and stabbed Caroline.
But Willis later admitted to killing his mother.
The court heard Willis had “a long history of major mental disorder and substance misuse”.
A report prepared by a forensic psychiatrist, which was presented to the court, concluded that Willis suffered from paranoid schizophrenia with a substantial association with polysubstance abuse.
Sentencing Willis, Justice Lasry described his actions in killing Caroline as “a frenzied, violent attack on your mother in her home”.
“Once more a woman has been murdered in her own home where she should have felt safe, secure and protected, especially in light of the intervention order,” Justice Lasry said.
