A teenager who murdered a mother-of-two during a robbery was sentenced to 14 years in youth detention after a judge found his crime was “particularly heinous”.
The teenager, now aged just over 19, appeared in the Brisbane Supreme Court on Monday for sentencing after pleading guilty to the murder of Emma Lovell.
The teenager also pleaded guilty to armed robbery at night while in company, malicious act with intent and assault in company causing bodily harm.
Judge Tom Sullivan reserved his ruling on sentencing for more than a week following presentations by the prosecution and defense.
Emma Lovell was fatally stabbed at her home north of Brisbane in 2022
Lovell and her two daughters appeared somber outside the courthouse after the sentence was handed down.
The teenager and another teenage accomplice were charged after Ms Lovell was fatally stabbed at her home north of Brisbane in 2022.
Police alleged the two boys, then aged 17, broke into a North Lakes home and attacked Mrs Lovell and her husband Lee at around 11.30pm on Boxing Day.
The mother-of-two died after being stabbed in the chest while Lovell was treated in hospital for a knife 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 considered the crime to be “particularly heinous”.
On Monday, Judge Sullivan found the teenager met this threshold due to his criminal record and having made two attempts to stab Mr and Mrs Lovell before landing the fatal blow.
“This crime was heinous and would create outrage in the community,” Judge Sullivan said.
Crown prosecutor David Nardone previously said the teenager stabbed Ms Lovell with such force that the blade of the knife broke.
Security footage previously played by Judge Sullivan shows the teen testing the front door and finding it open before entering in front of his accomplice.
Shortly afterwards, the teenager got into a physical altercation with Mr and Mrs Lovell while holding a knife.
The couple’s two teenage children, Kassie and Scarlett, were also sleeping in the house when the accomplices broke in.
The teenager stabbed Mrs Lovell in the heart and Mr Lovell in the back, before kicking him several times in the head.
Police are seen at the crime scene in a suburb outside Brisbane on December 27, 2022.
The aftermath of the crime scene, where doctors performed open-heart surgery on Lovell’s lawn in an attempt to save the mother’s life.
Judge Sullivan said the Lovells’ teenage daughters were standing over their mother’s body sobbing when police and paramedics arrived and open-heart surgery was performed in the front garden in an attempt to save her life.
Defense attorney Scott Lynch previously said the teen grew up in a chaotic environment, exposed to domestic violence and finding his only close friend dead after he took his own life.
Judge Sullivan said the teenager had an extensive but previously non-violent criminal history that included 16 robberies.
“You were not remanded in custody for any of those offences,” Judge Sullivan said.
Judge Sullivan said victim impact statements had revealed a “devastating” impact.
‘The Lovells were ordinary citizens who enjoyed family life in their home, where they had a right to feel safe. ‘What happened violated that completely,’ Judge Sullivan said.
The teenager must comply with at least 70 percent of the detention order with a credit of 500 days of preventive detention.