SA axe murder accused not guilty

An Adelaide woman accused of using an axe and two knives to murder her husband has been found not guilty because of mental incompetence.

An elderly woman charged with using an axe and two knives to murder her husband in their Adelaide home has been found not guilty because of mental incompetence.

Lucia Colella, 76, was accused of murdering Antonio Colella at their Alberton home in Adelaide last July.

In the Supreme Court on Tuesday, Justice Kevin Nicholson ruled Colella was mentally incompetent at the time and fixed a lifetime supervision order.

He will assess psychiatric reports at a later hearing to determine whether Colella should remain in the community.

The court heard Colella was suffering from a major depressive disorder with psychotic features when she attacked her husband.

Colella's lawyer Stephen Ey said his client's mental health treatment had been successful since the attack.

Mr Ey applied to have Colella's bail conditions changed so she no longer had to wear a monitoring bracelet on her ankle, saying it was embarrassing for her and uncomfortable in the summer heat.

But the judge declined, saying he did not have enough information on Colella's current mental state despite considering her a low risk of reoffending.

Colella will face court again on February 25.


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world