Brisbane woman who gave lethal medication to terminally ill husband released on bail after murder charge | Queensland
A woman who gave a lethal drug cocktail to her husband, who died of motor neurone disease, has been released on bail after being charged with murder.
Kylie Ellina Truswell‑Mobbs was released on bail Tuesday after being accused of murdering her 56-year-old husband, who died of motor neurone disease.
The 51-year-old will appear in court following the death of her husband, former firefighter David Ronald Mobbs, at their home in Alexandra Hills, south-east of Brisbane, in December 2023.
Judge Paul Smith previously heard Mobbs told one of his sons, Rylee Relja, that he wanted to end his life if the incurable and degenerative neurological condition reached the point where he could no longer use the toilet.
“David and his family were informed by medical doctors that they could not relieve his suffering,” Smith told the Brisbane Supreme Court.
“She had told others that the inadequacy and humiliation would be unbearable for her if she got to the point of needing diapers.”
As part of her bail conditions, Truswell-Mobbs will not be able to live with her sons, who will serve as witnesses at her trial, or discuss evidence.
Truswell-Mobbs was refused bail in April 2025, but Smith found there had been a significant change in her circumstances since evidence was presented in her favor at a hearing in February.
“In this case, it could be argued that the applicant was unsure whether she wanted David to die, despite giving him the medication,” Smith said.
“Because on the one hand, he loved her and wanted her to live, and on the other hand, he didn’t want her to suffer.”
Smith said he now has a better chance of being acquitted by a jury on all charges or found guilty of alternative charges such as involuntary manslaughter or aiding suicide.
“He has exemplary character and no prior criminal record,” Smith said. “Flight risk is very low”
At a bail hearing last week, Smith was told Mobbs’ once-strong body was ravaged by an aggressive motor neurone disease diagnosed in April 2023.
Within months he went from independent to completely bedridden; He could not walk or move without assistance.
By December, he could no longer talk and could not communicate by blinking, making sounds, or using a flip chart when someone raised their hand.
Smith heard that Mobbs was physically incapable of committing suicide at the time.
Truswell-Mobbs admitted to police that she injected a series of drugs into her husband’s feeding tube to end his life, the court heard last week.
Mobbs and his family were told by the palliative care team hours before the alleged murder that feeding tubes could be removed and the pain could allow for a “natural” death within days or weeks.
The care team also said the process of applying for voluntary assisted dying would take at least nine days.
Truswell-Mobbs spent more than 12 months in custody but was released on bail on Tuesday with additional conditions preventing her from speaking to witnesses.
He will be tried in the Brisbane Supreme Court on a date to be determined.
