The man accused of murdering his mother in her Blenheim home last November has admitted he did it.
Blenheim cleaner Paul Thomas Armon appeared in the High Court this morning, where he quietly pleaded guilty to last year’s events and was convicted before Justice Dale La Hood.
The summary of facts was not read out.
However, a homicide investigation was launched after Jennifer Phyllis Sheehan was found dead at her property in Blenheim on the morning of November 25.
Armon was arrested shortly after.
The police charge sheet lists the date of the offence as November 22.
The 55-year-old was granted interim name suppression at an initial brief appearance in the Blenheim District Court before the order lapsed unchallenged at a later High Court appearance.
Armon’s lawyer Rob Harrison called earlier for detailed psychiatric reports to assess his fitness to plea or stand trial, which was scheduled for August 2026.Advertisement
But today that date was removed from the diary with Armon’s guilty plea.
However, Harrison will still seek further reports before sentencing on June 5.
Sheehan’s family said following her death they had been left feeling “shocked and utterly lost for words”.
Her nephew, Jarrod, paid tribute to Sheehan in a post online, saying he was “angry” and “confused, but mostly sad”.
“I’m shocked and utterly lost for words about what has happened to my Aunty Jenny,” he said.
Jarrod said he still “can’t comprehend” what happened and “probably never will understand” how it could happen, “especially in Blenheim”.
He described Sheehan as having an “infectious laugh”.
“Mainly I’m sad for my kids, who she loved and treated like her own grandchildren ... I genuinely felt the love she shared for our kids and that’s something I will never forget,” he said.
Jarrod said he felt “robbed of time that I’ll never get again”. He said he would think of Sheehan every time he hears a song by Elvis and smile when something “quirky reminds me of her”.
“I hope to remember her stories so she continues to live through them and we can laugh for many years to come,” he said.
Tracy Neal is a Nelson-based Open Justice reporter at NZME. She was previously RNZ’s regional reporter in Nelson-Marlborough and has covered general news, including court and local government for the Nelson Mail.
