NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / World

Aaron Pajich murder trial: Perth court hears how Jemma Lilley's 'life ambition' was to kill someone

By Greg Roberts
AAP·
30 Oct, 2017 08:00 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Jemma Lilley, left, is on trial for the murder of Aaron Pajich, right. Photos / Supplied

Jemma Lilley, left, is on trial for the murder of Aaron Pajich, right. Photos / Supplied

The only motive for the murder of teenager Aaron Pajich by Jemma Lilley was because it was her "life's ambition" to kill someone by the time she was aged 25, a WA Supreme Court jury was told.

State prosecutor James McTaggart delivered his closing address at the start of the fifth week of the trial of Lilley, 26, and her housemate Trudi Lenon, 43, who are accused of murdering 18-year-old Pajich, who has been described as autistic but "high functioning".

"At the time of the murder, she was a person obsessed with violence and all kinds of unquestionably cruel manifestations of torture and was writing about it," McTaggart said, referring to Lilley's writings and evidence given by her friend Angela McKibbin of her aim to kill someone before turning 25.

Aaron Pajich was described as autistic but "high functioning". Photo / Supplied
Aaron Pajich was described as autistic but "high functioning". Photo / Supplied

There was "no doubt" Pajich had been murdered with fatal knife wounds to his chest and neck.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

There was also no doubt he was buried in the backyard of the pair's Perth home, a place where a security camera showed the two of them and Pajich on June 13, the last time he was seen.

"Between them, they did all that was necessary to cause Aaron Pajich's death," McTaggart said.

Once she had fulfilled that "bucket list" requirement to kill, she was so "full of herself and euphoric" that she couldn't help boasting about killing someone to colleague Matthew Stray.

She also couldn't help leaving incriminating messages to her "obsequious and sycophantic" fellow murderer Lenon later that night, talking about how excited she was experiencing things "she had not felt before".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Lilley's lover Trudi Lenon, pictured, admitted being an accessory. Photo / Supplied
Lilley's lover Trudi Lenon, pictured, admitted being an accessory. Photo / Supplied

Those two errors of judgment contributed to Lilley being charged with murder, he said.

There was evidence of the pair planning the murder, through phone messages discussing killing someone while referring to each other by their bizarre names SOS and Corvina, and buying cleaning products and concrete to cover it up, McTaggart said.

SOS was the name of a serial killer in a book Lilley had written while Corvina was the name Lenon used as a submissive participant in the bondage scene.

Earlier, the court heard from Kim Michelle Taylor. She had known Lilley very well for many years but stopped having anything to do with her about one month earlier.

Discover more

World

Sick obsession of two thrill-killers

02 Nov 06:49 AM
World

Secret life of sadistic killer Jemma Lilley

09 Jan 05:52 PM

They had previously exchanged many explicit messages about sado-masochism, with Taylor once allowing Lilley to cut her lightly with a decorative knife and to choke in their sex acts, she said.

Lilley was married to a man she called 'Gacy', after US serial killer John Wayne Gacy, pictured. Photo / Getty Images
Lilley was married to a man she called 'Gacy', after US serial killer John Wayne Gacy, pictured. Photo / Getty Images

Taylor also confirmed Lilley had been married to a now-deceased man named Gordon, who she referred to as 'Gacy' after the notorious American serial killer and rapist John Wayne Gacy.

"It was just a nickname," Taylor said.

She said the texts also heavily featured comments on the Dexter TV show, which is about a fictional serial killer.

The court also heard testimony from Lenon's 22-year-old son Jacob, who said his mother was interested in horror films.

He was asked if she liked horses, given a riding crop was found in her bedroom, but he said no.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

It emerged on the first day of the trial, which is now into its third week, that Lenon was for many years a submissive participant in the bondage, discipline and sado-masochism scene, and the 'Corvina' character she assumed had been awakened by Lilley.

Lenon told detectives the pair didn't have a sexual relationship.

Pajich's body was buried in the backyard, covered with concrete and tiles in June last year. Photo / Supplied
Pajich's body was buried in the backyard, covered with concrete and tiles in June last year. Photo / Supplied

A text message from her to Lilley that was read out in a video-recorded police interview played on Wednesday read: "I am fortunate to have met my true dominant counterpart because without you, I would continue to feel shame.

" ... even writing this is highly erotic. You allow me to explore Corvina and I actually really like her.

"So for all of this I say thank you."

Lenon blames Lilley for the murder, but admits to being an accessory.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Lilley denies knowing how Pajich died and claims to have been asleep when he was last seen with Lenon.

The trial is due to finish this week.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from World

World

Israel strikes dozens of Tehran targets in aggressive overnight raids

20 Jun 08:29 AM
World

Trump to decide on Iran invasion within two weeks

World

Tensions rise: Hospital, nuclear sites targeted in Iran-Israel conflict

20 Jun 06:49 AM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from World

Israel strikes dozens of Tehran targets in aggressive overnight raids

Israel strikes dozens of Tehran targets in aggressive overnight raids

20 Jun 08:29 AM

More than 60 fighter jets hit alleged missile production sites in Tehran.

Trump to decide on Iran invasion within two weeks

Trump to decide on Iran invasion within two weeks

Tensions rise: Hospital, nuclear sites targeted in Iran-Israel conflict

Tensions rise: Hospital, nuclear sites targeted in Iran-Israel conflict

20 Jun 06:49 AM
Teacher sacked after sending 35,000 messages to ex-student before relationship

Teacher sacked after sending 35,000 messages to ex-student before relationship

20 Jun 05:55 AM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP