The daughter of a beloved nurse “deliberately” killed by a man in a horrific accident near Brisbane has revealed the moment she heard the fatal collision while speaking to her mother on the phone.
Kasey Wolff cried on the stand as she recalled the last conversation she had with her mother, Michelle Wolff, when Jacob Paul Johnston crashed into her car on the D’Aguilar Highway in Harlin during a suicide attempt in December 2021.
At one point she told her mother that she was looking forward to getting home safely.
That was shattered when Kasey said she heard “a lot of noises” and then realized it was her mother’s phone that had been thrown around the car in the accident.
Nurse Michelle Wolff (pictured) died during the horrific crash on the D’Aguilar Highway in Harlin in December 2021.
“My mother’s life was stolen from her, she can’t see her children grow up and start their careers,” Kasey said.
Wolff’s family cried in the gallery as Johnston, 23, pleaded guilty to one count each of involuntary manslaughter and attempting to pervert justice.
The court was told Johnston and his then-girlfriend were experiencing problems in their relationship before the accident.
Crown prosecutor Michael Lehane said the couple had discussed plans by text message about how to end their lives, including a chilling plan to load gas bottles into a car and crash it, causing an explosion. The then-girlfriend is not accused of any crime.
In the texts, Johnston had explained that they should not feel guilty about how it would affect the safety of others because “life is not fair,” Lehane said.
On December 1, the woman confirmed to Johnston that they had broken up.
He responded by driving his car towards Brisbane and eventually approached Ms Wolff on the motorway as she was driving in the opposite direction on her way home from work.
The court was told Johnston “deliberately” crossed the center line and collided with Mrs Wolff’s car.
Her daughter, who was on the phone with her mother at the time, heard the noise through the Bluetooth hands-free device.
Mrs. Wolff died from her injuries.
Johnston was also taken to hospital with serious injuries, but told police he “couldn’t remember” the accident and later expressed surprise when asked if it was a suicide attempt.
Ms Wolff’s family (pictured) cried in court after Johnston pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Lehane said police eventually discovered the messages between Johnston and his ex on his phone.
He said the texts talking about gas cylinders in the car were a “joke” and referred to a cartoon.
The court was told Johnston had been playing rapper Eminem’s song Stan, part of the lyrics referring to a suicide attempt while driving.
Reading her victim impact statement, Kasey said Johnston’s decision took away from her mother and her “best friend, one of the best human beings who ever lived.”
He revealed that his mother had planned to attend his college graduation the same week she was murdered.
“My absolute nightmare was that something bad would happen to him and it came true,” Kasey said.
“You took the person I love the most.”
He spoke of his horror at realizing there was a “rattling” sound while on the phone to his mother, along with frantic efforts to call her back.
“We have to drive past (the crash site) every time we come home,” Kasey said.
Johnston’s attempts to pervert the course of justice related to his contact with his ex-girlfriend while in custody, urging her to retract her statement to police and help him with his bail application.
Kasey Wolff (pictured) said in her Victim Impact Statement, which was crossed out in red in court, that Johnston had taken the person she loved most from her.
Johnston’s defense lawyer said his client had a damaging upbringing and presented a letter of apology he had written to the court.
The court was told Johnston had no immediate family to support him in Australia, making his time in custody more difficult.
He would also be deported to New Zealand once his sentence was completed.
Supreme Court Justice Peter Freeburn ultimately handed down a 10-year sentence for the manslaughter and a cumulative one-year jail term for the charge of attempting to pervert justice.
Upon completion of his sentence, Johnston will be eligible for parole in September 2030.
Life Line: 13 111 14