‘Evil man’: Daughter on killer counsellor

The daughter of former deputy mayor Paul Cohrs has told a court that while her dad remains alive she will “always be fearful of him”.

Cohrs, 64, returned before the Victorian Supreme Court on Tuesday after a jury found him guilty of murdering his mother Bette Schulz-Cohrs, 81, almost six years ago.

During a 10-day trial earlier this year, Cohrs admitted he shot and killed her in her Red Cliff’s home on October 30, 2018, after murdering his brother Raymond Cohrs, 63, earlier the same day.

But, in an argument rejected by the jury, he asked them to find him not guilty by way of mental impairment, with his defence arguing the death would not have occurred but for his delusional disorder.

The court was told Cohrs was locked in a years-long dispute with his brother over the family’s roofing businesses, with his mother taking Raymond’s side.

The night before, he write out a will and suicide note before driving to his Raymond’s home at Lake Victoria Station in New South Wales.

There he shot dead his brother before restraining with handcuffs a real estate agent, Michael Fernandez, saying: “he (Raymond) deserved it”.

Cohrs then drove 110km over the Victorian border to Ms Shulz-Cohrs home and killed her with a shotgun as she was caring for his four-year-old grandson.

He then drove the 90 minutes back to Lake Victoria Station, calling the police to attend her home as he drove, and freed Mr Frenandez.

Cohrs shot himself in the head as police arrived.

In court, both prosecutor Melissa Mahady and defence barrister Lucien Richter agreed the evidence was Cohrs was suffering from delusions and distress at the time.

Justice Lesley Taylor was told she would need to sentence the former Wentworth Shire deputy mayor on the basis his disorder contributed to, but did not explain, the offending.

Insead, Ms Mahady said, Cohrs was driven by “hatred, anger and grievance”.

Appearing with a framed photo of Bette Shulz-Cohrs, his daughter Kristy Cohrs told the court her grandmother was her “soul mate” and labelled Cohrs an “evil man”.

“We were robbed of our time with nana by Paul’s selfishness and greed,” she said.

“I hope the court can consider the life sentence we have, while Paul is alive I will always be fearful of him.”

She told the court her son, who was found alongside his grandmother’s body, has required counselling and blames her for being there that day.

Now aged 10, the boy described the moment he found his great-grandmother dead and attempted to wake her.

I didn’t know what to do so I went outside and sat on nana’s chair with her dogs,” he said.

Ms Shulz-Cohrs’ brother, Desmond Nicholson, said he never believed Cohrs was capable of killing his mother.

“I still in my own mind don’t understand why Paul shot Bette, she gave him everything,” he said.

“I find Paul despicable for what he did. I will never forgive him.”

The court was told Ms Shulz-Cohrs had previously told family and friends she was afraid of her son.

“Don’t be surprised if you come out one time and I’m shot dead. He will do it one day,” she said according to one family member.

The court was told Cohrs continues to experience his delusional disorder and believes his actions were morally justified.

Justice Taylor told the court that because Raymond’s murder occurred in another jurisdiction, she was only to sentence Cohrs for his mother’s murder.

She will hand down her sentence at a later date.