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A teenager who killed a mother-of-two during a burglary has been sentenced to 14 years in youth custody after a judge found his crime “particularly heinous”.
The teenager, now just over 19, appeared in the Brisbane Supreme Court today for sentencing after earlier pleading guilty to murder.
The teenager also pleaded guilty to armed robbery at night in a company, committing a malicious act with intent and assault in a company occasioning bodily harm.
Judge Tom Sullivan delayed his sentencing decision for more than a week after arguments from the prosecution and defense.
The teenager and another teenage accomplice were charged after Emma Lovell was fatally stabbed at her home north of Brisbane in 2022.
Police say the two boys, then aged 17, broke into a house in the Northern Lakes and attacked Emma and her husband Lee at around 11.30pm on Boxing Day.
The mother-of-two died after being stabbed in the chest while Lee was treated in hospital for a stab wound.
Judge Sullivan previously heard he could sentence the teenager to a maximum of 10 years in prison, or up to 14 years if he deemed the offense to be “particularly heinous”.
Judge Sullivan today found the teenager met that threshold because of his previous criminal record and making two attempts to stab Emma and Lee before striking the fatal blow.
“This offense was brutal and would have caused outrage in the community,” Judge Sullivan said.
Crown prosecutor David Nardone earlier said the teenager stabbed Emma with such force that the blade of the knife broke.
Security footage previously played to Judge Sullivan showed the teenager checking the front door and finding it unlocked before walking in ahead of his accomplice.
The teenager soon after got into a physical altercation with Emma and Lee while wielding a knife.
The couple’s two teenagers, Cassie and Scarlett, were also asleep in the house when the accomplices broke in.
The teenager stabbed Emma in the heart and Lee in the back before kicking him several times in the head.
Judge Sullivan said the Lovells’ teenage daughters stood over their mother’s body sobbing as police and paramedics arrived and open-heart surgery was performed on the front lawn in an attempt to save her life.
Defense lawyer Scott Lynch previously said the teenager grew up in a chaotic environment, exposed to domestic violence and found his only close friend dead after taking his own life.
Judge Sullivan said the teenager had an extensive but previously non-violent criminal history which included 16 burglaries.
“You have not been arrested for any of these offences,” Judge Sullivan said.
Judge Sullivan said victim impact statements revealed a “devastating” impact.
“The Lovells were ordinary citizens enjoying family life in their own home, where they had a right to feel safe. What happened completely disrupted that,” Judge Sullivan said.
The teenager will have to serve at least 70 percent of the detention order, with 500 days of custody credited.
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