Jordan Taylor, 20, had been celebrating his 18th birthday on January 13, 2023, when he "snapped" and killed Anita Jane Taylor.
He appeared in the High Court at Dunedin 10 months later, where he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 10 years.
But in a judgement released yesterday, the Court of Appeal ruled that outcome was manifestly excessive, replacing it with a term of 15 years and a minimum of eight behind bars.
It makes Taylor one of the few killers in the country not to be subject to a life term.
"We consider the judge gave inadequate weight to the very specific context in which the offending occurred, namely Mr Taylor’s co-dependent relationship with his volatile and emotionally abusive mother at a time when his ability to deal with adversity was compromised by his youth and his complex and profound psychiatric and psychological difficulties," Justice Jillian Mallon said.
At the 2023 sentencing, the court heard the defendant had been isolated from other family members and the rest of society by his mother, leading to an unhealthy co-dependence.
She was observed as being "hysterical and erratic", speaking in front of her son in "disturbing ways" and being extremely derogatory towards him.
After the birthday celebration, which one other person had attended, Taylor said his intoxicated mother’s mood swung.
Later, he told forensic psychiatrist Dr Justin Barry-Walsh he tried to calm the victim but she became more enraged, telling him she wanted to die.
Taylor said he "snapped", grabbed a dumbbell and attacked her while she was in bed.
He described noticing her head was caved in and she was unresponsive, then hit her twice more and "finished her off".
Dr Barry-Walsh’s assessment of the circumstances was pivotal to the Court of Appeal’s decision to alter the sentence.
He said Taylor had a "complex and profound" set of issues, including a major mental disorder, anxiety and symptoms of post-traumatic stress, which made him less well-equipped than most people of his age to manage conflict.
In an update, he said the defendant had found stability in a youth unit in prison and was engaged in activities and courses.
He had made friends in the unit and was now, crucially, establishing a relationship with his father.
The court heard Taylor remained remorseful for his actions and expressed sadness at the death of his mother.
He told Dr Barry-Walsh he would willingly serve his sentence but the prospect of a being under scrutiny for life was "gut-wrenching".
"I would anticipate with maturity carried by age and with the opportunity to seek therapeutic input to address his issues around his insecurities, anxiety and mood disturbance that as an adult his likelihood of acting in such a way can be substantially diminished," the psychiatrist wrote.
Justice Mallon accepted that for a person with Taylor’s vulnerabilities, the effects of life imprisonment would likely "weigh very heavily on him".
He will be eligible for parole in January 2031.
— Rob Kidd, Court reporter
