A man accused of murdering his stepfather allegedly told a friend about his plan to kill the man and rob him to pay his debts just days before.
Court documents claim that three days before Jeffery David Lee, 46, broke into his mother’s Wanniassa, ACT, home and allegedly beat his stepfather, Neal Keith Wilkinson, to death in the room beside his sleeping and disabled mother, he informed a close friend of his intentions.
“I think I’m going to kill my step-dad, bro,” Lee allegedly told his friend.
“You think? You don’t want to be doing that. You’ll go to jail for life,” the friend allegedly replied.
“Yeah, I know, but I’ve f#cked up so bad in the past, maybe I need something to straighten me out,” Lee reportedly said.
Lee, who had been estranged from his mother for more than 12 years, came back into contact with Mr and Mrs Wilkinson when he asked for $3,000 in 2012, allegedly for “real estate issues”.
Later, after a bank foreclosed on a property he owned, Lee is said to have used the money to lead a “transient” lifestyle, which included drugs, prostitutes and excessive drinking.
It was during this time that Lee’s stepfather, Wilkinson, became “frightened” of Lee and feared that he would harm him.
“On more than one occasion Mr Wilkinson commented to [Lee’s mother] that he was frightened of the defendant and thought he might be killed by him one day,” police said in a statement.
On the night of the incident, which occurred on March 10th, Lee allegedly drove to his mother’s house and forced entry.
Upon meeting Mr Wilkinson inside, Lee reportedly killed him by inflicting a blunt force trauma using a marble door stop.
After killing Mr Wilkinson, Lee allegedly entered into his mother’s room, where she slept, and sat next to her for a period of time. Lee later made his mother a cup of tea and a hot cross bun.
When his mother awoke and asked after her partner of 29 years, police understand that Mr Lee told her of his actions, by saying words to the effect of: “Neal’s dead, I killed him.”
After his mother asked for the phone to ring the police, Mr Lee allegedly replied, “No you’re not, no you’re not, no you’re not. You’re not ringing anybody.”
Before Lee left the premises, he allegedly tore the phone out of the wall to prevent her from ringing the police. His mother reportedly struggled out of bed and cried out for help until a neighbour heard her around 7pm.
Between the time of the attack and the time of his arrest, Lee allegedly revisited the house and stole the $53,000 that his stepfather had been keeping in a pillowcase.
After stealing the money, police allege that Lee visited a brothel, a sex shop and then his friend’s house, where he confessed to killing his stepfather.
“I’ve f…ed up, I’ve killed someone, I’ve killed my stepdad,” Lee confessed in his friend’s lounge room, “I f—– up, I punched him, he was bleeding, I blacked out, he was stiff.”
When police arrested Lee the next day, it is understood that he told police, “I went there with the intention of forcing my way in. I was mad that I didn’t get in. It got out of hand quickly.
“It’s actually a relief to get caught. I just ran and ran after it happened. I didn’t know what to do.”
Lee is currently standing trial for murder, theft and breaking and entering. He has pled not guilty and is expected to face a hearing in November.
