Paul Cohrs: Sentence cut for former Wentworth deputy mayor over shotgun murder of mother Bette Cohrs-Schulz
A former NSW deputy mayor has thanked his lawyers after his three-year prison sentence for shooting his elderly mother was commuted.
Paul Anthony Cohrs, who once served on Wentworth Shire council, was sentenced to 30 years in prison in October 2024 for the shotgun murder of 82-year-old Bette Cohrs-Schulz in Red Cliffs almost six years ago.
Cohrs appealed his conviction and sentence in the Victorian Court of Appeal last week and returned to court on Thursday morning to learn he had met with a mixed outcome.
Judge Stephen McLeish was beamed into the courtroom via a prison-green video link as he handed down the court’s verdict.
Cohrs’ bid to overturn his conviction was rejected, but he was allowed to appeal the sentence and judges sentenced him to 27 years in prison with a 20-year non-parole period.
Cohrs, who was sentenced to almost 7.5 years in prison, will be eligible for parole three years earlier, in late 2038.
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