After popping out to buy cigarettes, Lydia Gacuma was helped across the road by a stranger who then stabbed her 120 times.
The 67-year-old died after the unprovoked and violent attack in the car park of her unit in the Sydney suburb of Villawood on December 5, 2021.
Mahmoud Eleter, 26, lived nearby and was arrested at his home where police found bloodied clothing and a flick knife with DNA matching Ms Gacuma's.
Diagnosed with schizophrenia and borderline intellectual disability, Eleter had not been taking his medication at the time of the murder.
“Get out of my head, get out of my heart, leave me alone," he was heard screaming while walking in circles in a park outside his Villawood home on the morning of December 5.
He helped Ms Gacuma cross the road with her walker and followed her to the apartment block while she was speaking on the phone with her daughter Jocelyne.
At that moment, the attack occurred.
"I’ve been stabbed, somebody attacked me, ring the police," Ms Gacuma told her daughter before collapsing to the ground.
Paramedics found her lying face down surrounded by blood. They attempted to revive her but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
After the arrest, Eleter admitted stabbing Ms Gacuma.
"I know what I did was completely wrong, and completely disgusting, and I deeply regret it," he told police.
In July and August in the NSW Supreme Court, Eleter pleaded not guilty to murder by reason of mental impairment.
Two psychiatrists Dr Kerri Eagle and Dr Andrew Ellis told the court that during the attack the 26-year-old had experienced a severe psychotic episode with delusions of control and hallucinations, and that he would have been unable to appreciate the wrongfulness of his actions.
Justice Richard Weinstein agreed and, in a judgment handed down on Thursday, found that while Eleter had committed the murder, he was not criminally responsible for his actions and could not be sentenced.
"I am satisfied ... that at the time of carrying out the acts that killed Ms Gacuma, Mr Eleter had a mental health impairment (schizophrenia) that had the effect that Mr Eleter did not know that the acts were wrong," the judge said.
In a victim impact statement, Jocelyn Gacuma described her mother as a delightful, very patient person with a genuine and beautiful soul.
"On behalf of the community, the court extends its condolences to Ms (Jocelyn) Gacuma in recognition of their long and loving relationship," Justice Weinstein said.
"The statement demonstrates that Ms Lydia Gacuma pursued an active life and persevered in the face of considerable personal adversity. We are less as a community because of the death of one of our contributing members."
Eleter will now be assessed by the Mental Health Review Tribunal which can order him to be treated either in jail or another place until he is deemed safe for release into the community.
Lifeline 13 11 14
beyondblue 1300 22 4636
