A woman who brutally murdered her ex-partner with an axe she purchased at Bunnings hardware store had looked up instructions online, a court has been told. She had executed a Google search for information on the murder, including "killing someone with an axe what part of the body to go for."
According to The Guardian, the 34-year-old woman, who can't be named for legal reasons, faced a sentencing hearing on Friday. She has pleaded guilty to murdering her long-term boyfriend as he was lying down looking at his iPad in a Sydney townhouse in September 2020. According to the agreed facts, he was with another woman when his partner rang and messaged him.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that the 35-year-old victim, who also cannot be identified for legal reasons, was described as a humble, gentle man with a jovial personality and who embraced the good in people. During a sentencing hearing, his aunt recalled being told of the "atrocious murder" by police. "As a family, we are devastated," she told the court.
According to the Guardian, she had searched for information on her phone earlier that month, including "can you kill someone with hot boiling water" and "is it really easy to murder someone with a knife."
Before the murder, she did more searches, including: "What is the fastest part of the body to kill someone with an axe", the news outlet further reported.
The court was told that the 10-year relationship was tense and that police had been contacted several times. In the sentencing argument made in court, the prosecutor provided her web search history as proof of premeditation.
