Nurse stabbed to death with scissors after surviving brain surgery
Caitlin O’brien had just won the fight of her life – but there was one battle she couldn’t win.
THe would have paranoid delusions
hey’d met as teenagers while they were studying, and despite their relationship being fraught with problems, they had been together ever since.
Caitlin O’brien, 31, knew that being with Shea Sturt was toxic, but however much she tried to get out of it, she was trapped.
Caitlin was a nurse, living in a second-floor apartment in Melbourne, Australia.
She was kind and caring – and always trying to help others.
Quiet Caitlin would often shock her hospital colleagues by showing up at work crying and covered with bruises.
Shea’s violence towards her had seen him end up in court several times.
As early as 2010, Caitlin lodged a police report after fleeing an attack from Shea.
He was charged with assault, but was then placed on an adjourned good behaviour bond.
Caitlin went on to visit her GP over 30 times with evidence, telling her doctor that Shea had attacked her, saying he needed to ‘kill her first before himself.’
Sadly, it had become a way of life for Caitlin.
Shea was having psychiatric treatment for his mental health problems.
He had a schizophrenia-type personality disorder which was made worse by his cannabis use.
It differs from schizophrenia in that a patient is aware in hindsight that their delusions weren't real.
Often Caitlin would tell the police about his acts of violence, but Shea would manipulate her, and she’d drop the charges.
Shea was admitted to mental health wards several times with paranoid delusions.
But his violence was his way of controlling Caitlin and he knew it was wrong.
He later wrote to a friend; I fully admit I was predatory towards Caitlin. It was the core of our relationship. Caitlin knew that Shea relied on her.
He was unemployed, saying he couldn’t work due to his social anxieties.
They lived off her wages – and Shea was always threatening to harm himself.
Her intuition to help saw Caitlin trying to help Shea over and over again.
Then in 2019, it was Caitlin who needed care when she was diagnosed with a brain tumour.
That May, she underwent surgery to have it removed.
Recovering at home, she’d cheated death.
She posted a picture of her shaved head and scar, and jokingly referred to herself as ‘Tennis Ball Head.’
But the staples across her head were proof of just how serious things were.
Her friends rushed to send her their love and, as always, Caitlin brushed them off with humility, saying she was fine.
She even said that Shea was doing the chores and cooking to help out.
Five weeks after the op, Shea was in a bad place.
He told Caitlin that the neighbours were worshipping Satan and that she was a devil.
Shea believed he was Jesus, and made her eat an apple so she could be ‘enlightened’ like Adam and Eve.
On 23 June, Caitlin was so worried about his behaviour that she called the police.
He was clearly in the middle of a psychotic episode, episode and she was scared.
Shea was taken to The Alfred Hospital – where Caitlin worked – and was detained under the mental health act as he was assessed.
With Shea in hospital, Caitlin believed she had a few days to finally escape, to move out and find somewhere safe
He stabbed defenceless Caitlin five times
away from him.
She contacted an old friend and asked if she could come and stay with him.
I’m just scared to be around him, she messaged. He’s not making sense at all.
But it was impossible to understand the urgency of the situation – her friend said if she still felt that way at the weekend, she could get an Uber to his.
Meanwhile, Shea sent a message to Caitlin. I would never hurt you, he told her. I hope so. I get scared, she wrote back. Of what? he asked.
Of you murdering me, Caitlin replied.
She thought she had time, but after a few hours, doctors released Shea.
He had convinced them that he wasn’t a threat, and returned to Caitlin’s flat.
The next day, 25 June, Shea shared strange and worrying messages on Facebook.
There were ramblings about ‘sacrifice being beautiful but only ever for the right reasons.’
He was in a drug-induced psychotic state.
Caitlin was sitting on her bed when Shea came into the room and started talking about the end of the world.
He pulled off her trousers and held her down, but she fought him off and ran to the bathroom where she armed herself with a pair of scissors.
Shea overpowered her and grabbed the scissors.
As they struggled, Shea stabbed Caitlin five times.
Then he held her down on the bed and smothered her with a pillow.
Fearing she might still be alive, Shea then strangled her with a pair of tracksuit bottoms.
Just 36 hours after promising not to hurt her, Caitlin was dead.
Shea took a shower, left Caitlin's credit card on her chest – to signify ‘you don’t owe me anymore.’ Then he headed to the police station.
Outside, he told officers to arrest him.
‘I just killed my girlfriend,’ he said.
‘No you didn’t,’ they said. But when they went to Caitlin’s flat and broke down the door, they found her dead on the bed.
The tracksuit bottoms were still wrapped tightly around her neck.
Shea told police that killing Caitlin was ‘necessary’ and that it had ‘felt like the right thing to do.’
When he was told he would be charged with murder, he replied, ‘cool.’
In March this year, Shea, now 33, pleaded guilty to murder to avoid a trial.
His legal team had considered an insanity defence, but Shea felt he deserved to be punished.
While Shea’s mental health issues were a factor, a psychologist did also insist that throughout their relationship, he used ‘various coercive behaviours, including violence, threats of violence and threats of suicide.’
Shea told doctors that using cannabis was ‘like a cure-all’ and that it made him treat ‘Cait better.’
But it was clear it only worsened his delusions.
Caitlin had also been failed by the system, despite trying to get help countless times for the violence she was suffering.
In June, Shea was sentenced to 22 years in prison.
He will serve 16 years before being eligible for parole.
The judge said that Caitlin’s life had been cut horribly short.
‘You murdered her in her own home, a place where she should've been safe,’ he said. ‘It was not a one-off incident of domestic violence.’
The judge said that using cannabis had been his choice, even though there were other safer options to control his anxiety, so couldn’t be used as an excuse for his actions.
‘You were aware that cannabis might cause you to become violently psychotic,’ he told Shea.
Shea looked tearful when the judge read a statement by Caitlin’s mum, who described losing part of her soul when her daughter died.
Outside of court, Caitlin’s sister Martine said that she hoped Shea would use the years in prison to rehabilitate himself.
‘That’s what my sister would’ve wanted. She would have wanted him to get better,’ she said. ‘She would have wanted him to get help. And I really hope that he does that.’
Martine said she wanted Caitlin’s legacy as a nurse to live on and hoped to work with hospitals in the future to honour her memory.
‘She was a compassionate, lovely nurse. She would have done anything for the nursing community,’ she said. ‘She was just marvellous.’ Shea was held accountable for his actions after systematically abusing Caitlin for years.
Caitlin had just survived major surgery and was battling for her life, but she had no idea that she had already lost the fight.