Selfless nurse Michelle stayed back late at work before making her daily call to her daughter Kasey. Then the line went dead – after an unimaginably horrific act by a suicidal driver
The daughter of a beloved nurse who was ‘intentionally’ killed by a man in a horrific crash near Brisbane has revealed the moment she heard the fatal collision while on the phone to her mother.
Kasey Wolff cried on the stand as she recalled the last conversation she had with her mother, Michelle Wolff, when Jacob Paul Johnston got into her car on D’Aguilar Highway near Harlin during a suicide attempt in December 2021.
At one point she told her mother that she was looking forward to getting home safely.
That was disrupted when Kasey said she heard “a lot of chattering” — she later realized it was her mother’s phone that was thrown from the car during the crash.
Nurse Michelle Wolff (pictured) died in the horror crash on the D’Aguilar Highway near Harlin, in December 2021
“My mother’s life was stolen, she doesn’t get to see her children grow up and start their careers,” Kasey said.
Ms Wolff’s family wept in the stands as 23-year-old Johnston pleaded guilty to both manslaughter and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
The court was told Johnston and his then girlfriend were having problems in their relationship before the crash.
Crown prosecutor Michael Lehane said the pair had discussed plans via text on how to end their lives, including a chilling plan to load gas canisters into a car and crash it, causing an explosion. The then girlfriend is not accused of any wrongdoing.
In the texts, Johnston had explained that they should not feel guilty about the impact on the safety of others because “life isn’t fair,” Mr Lehane said.
On December 1, the woman confirmed to Johnston that they had separated.
He responded by driving his car towards Brisbane, eventually approaching Ms Wolff on the highway as she drove in the opposite direction on her way home from work.
The court was told Johnston ‘deliberately’ drove over the center line and collided with Ms Wolff’s car.
Her daughter, who was on the phone with her mother at the time, heard the crash over the hands-free Bluetooth.
Mrs. Wolff died from her injuries.
Johnston was also taken to hospital with serious injuries, but told police he had “no recollection” of the crash, later expressing surprise when asked if it was a suicide attempt.
The family of Ms Wolff (pictured) wept in court after Johnston pleaded guilty to manslaughter
Mr Lehane said police eventually discovered the messages between Johnston and his ex on his phone.
He said the texts about the gas bottles in the car were a ‘joke’ and referred to a cartoon.
The court was told Johnston had played rapper Eminem’s song Stan – some of the lyrics referred to a suicide attempt while driving.
Reading from her victim impact statement, Kasey said Johnston’s decision robbed her of her mother and “best friend, one of the best people to ever exist.”
She revealed that her mother had planned to attend her university graduation ceremony the same week she was killed.
“My absolute nightmare was something bad happening to her, and that came true,” Kasey said.
“You took the one person I love the most.”
She told of her horror when she realized there was a ‘rattling noise’ while she was on the phone with her mother, along with the frantic attempts to call her back.
“Every time we go home, we have to drive by the crash site,” Kasey said.
Johnston’s attempts to pervert the course of justice related to his contact with his ex-girlfriend while in custody, urging her to retract her statement to police and help him with his bail application.
Kasey Wolff (pictured) said in her Victim Impact Statement, issued in court, that Johnston took away the one person she loved most
Johnston’s lawyer said his client had had an adverse upbringing and submitted a letter of apology he had written to the court.
The court was told Johnston had no immediate family supporting him in Australia, making his time in custody more difficult.
He would also be deported to New Zealand once his sentence has been served.
High Court Judge Peter Freeburn ultimately imposed a 10-year prison sentence for the manslaughter and a cumulative one-year prison term for the attempted perversion charge.
If time is served, Johnston will be eligible for parole in September 2030.
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