A former deputy mayor who continues to believe he was justified in the shooting murder of his elderly mother could die in prison.
Paul Cohrs shot dead his 81-year-old mother in Victoria after allegedly murdering his brother in NSW on October 31, 2018, following a years-long family dispute.
The 65-year-old was on Wednesday jailed for 30 years, with a non-parole period of 23 years, in Victoria’s Supreme Court in relation to his mother Bette Cohrs-Schulz’s murder.
Cohrs’ “abhorrent” act was premeditated and planned, motivated by anger and grievance over his mother’s support for his brother, Justice Lesley Taylor said.
“You aimed at an elderly lady who was entitled to feel safe in her own home.
“She had been in fear that you would shoot her.
“In her last moments, she would have realised her fears.”
Cohrs was not tried over the death of his brother Raymond in the Victorian Supreme Court as it occurred in NSW, but Justice Taylor said the context around his mother’s death was linked to his plan to kill his brother.
In relation to his brother’s death, NSW Police have charged Cohrs with murder, detaining a person for advantage, and six counts of possessing an unregistered firearm.
The Victorian court was told Cohrs has since expressed regret over the killings.
“(Your) ongoing belief that you were justified in your actions (makes me form a) negligible view of your regret,” the judge said.
The relationship between Cohrs and his brother became strained in 2012 as they had conflicting ideas over properties connected to the family business.
He believed his mother had betrayed him by taking Raymond’s side, despite her not being involved with the businesses at the time, the judge said.
Raymond had decided to get the properties appraised, turning up with real estate agent Michael Fernandez to a NSW border property where Cohrs and his wife were living.
All three men drove to a shearing station on the property in the far southwestern corner of NSW where Cohrs shot his brother multiple times in the head and chest before handcuffing Mr Fernandez in the shed, the court was told.
“You deserve it. You ruined our lives,” he told his dying brother.
He then travelled 120km, arriving at his mother’s home at Red Cliffs in Victoria’s northwest an hour later.
She had just returned home from shopping with her four-year-old great-grandson when Cohrs shot her in the chest while the boy was in the bathroom.
Cohrs drove off, leaving his grandson to find Mrs Cohrs-Schulz’s body on the kitchen floor covered in blood.
As he drove back to Lake Victoria Station, he called his two non-estranged children, telling his son, “it’s done, it’s over, I’ve shot them both” before calling police.
He freed the real estate agent, telling him to not look at his brother’s body as he left, before trying to kill himself.
Cohrs expressed his disbelief when he survived, telling two police officers trying to save him that he had killed his mother and brother.
“They are two of the most evilest (sic) people in the world,” he told them.
Cohrs claimed he was not guilty of his mother’s murder because he was mentally impaired, but that was rejected by a Supreme Court jury who found him guilty at his trial in May.
Justice Taylor said he had been diagnosed with a persecutory type of delusion disorder, which was a factor in his offending while his anger was the primary motivation.
This was evident in “oddities” in his behaviour from 2012 when as deputy mayor of Wentworth Shire Council in NSW’s Riverina region, he developed grudges and refused to speak on council phones because he believed they were bugged.
The judge said Cohrs’ physical health was less than robust after suffering cardiac arrest in 2020 and he is taking medication for heart disease while also managing diabetes.
Cohrs will be at least 82 by the time he is eligible for parole in 2041, having already served six years in pre-sentence custody.
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