Jacob Hoysted: Prosecutors claim aged care home murder of Monica Stockdale was ‘thrill kill’

Prosecutors have revealed they believe the young aged-care worker who murdered an elderly woman at the Great Southern facility where he worked did so because he wanted to feel the thrill of a kill. Earlier this year, Jacob Hoysted admitted that he strangled Monica Stockdale inside Albany’s Baptistcare Bethel aged care home in November 2022. And on Tuesday, he had been due to be sentenced at WA’s Supreme Court. However, it has now emerged that despite admitting to the killing, Hoysted denies the alleged motive — that he had an interest in murders, and wanted to feel what it felt like to murder someone. His lawyers confirmed in court that he denies that, and will say his real motive was that he had been told that Ms Stockdale’s health was declining and he killed her out of mercy. Justice Anthony Derrick was also told that another factual dispute has emerged — with prosecutors set to state that Hoysted planned the murder at least before he began his shift at the home. Hoysted will claim he acted impulsively on the day of the murder. A trial of issues was ordered, where barrister Simon Freitag indicated there was a high probability that Hoysted will give evidence in person about the murder, and his reasons for it. That could be held in December. It has previously been revealed that the 70-year-old’s death was reported to police at the time but was not believed to be suspicious until the autopsy results came back. Hoysted had worked as a carer at Baptistcare Bethel for about 12 months and had a certification to work in aged care. Major crime division’s Det. Insp. Quentin Flatman said at the time of Hoysted’s arrest the results of the post-mortem examination found Ms Stockdale died of strangulation. Following Mrs Stockdale’s death, families with loved ones inside the aged-care home told The West Australian they had been left “traumatised” by the incident. Mrs Stockdale’s niece Leeanne Smith previously said the death — and how she died — had been devastating. “We were at peace that she’d passed of a natural cause, but then (to learn she hadn’t) was devastating,” Ms Smith said. “Even in her last months, she was still a very happy person, very calm, peaceful, so I don’t think there was any reason for him to have done this. “Ideally you’d love to have (your elderly loved ones) home with you but you need them to have that 24/7 care, and she was a lovely lady and an animal lover, whenever she came out with the family she was always very happy.” Mrs Stockdale’s son Matthew said the guilty plea had previously provided a sliver of comfort. “It’s a start towards a little bit of justice, but nothing is going to make it better,” he said. “She was recovering from a hip operation, she had broken her hip and she was lucky to come through that so she was bedridden. “She was on pain medication, she was coming good . . . chipper again — and then that happened. “Because it was a sudden death in an aged care facility that’s why there was an autopsy, without the autopsy it would’ve gone under the radar.” Following the charge of murder, it was revealed Hoysted was already facing a serious criminal charge when he was hired, despite declaring that was not the case. He appeared in court on that charge just four days before he began his employment at the Baptistcare home. Since her death, Mrs Stockdale’s family and friends have voiced their support for a national aged care screening process to be fast-tracked. Bosses at the centre expressed their shock and horror at the time Hoysted was charged. And staff expressed their love. “Feisty, loving, caring and above all fun,” was how one described her. The death also rocked the community where Mrs Stockdale was well-known and well-loved. The single mother of three sons hailed from a farming family at Rocky Gully, 116km north-west of Albany, and worked for many years at a local supermarket while also coaching teeball. The case will return to court in November.