Supernatural Sex

By Pamela Mortimer

David Maxwell Shepherd, 38, believed that he had supernatural sexual powers so strong that they could cure a woman’s demons through intercourse. Unfortunately for the woman, Shepherd’s powers to commit murder were stronger. Shepherd strangled his victim, Malissa Mayfield, 29, after the woman tried to sever contact with him.

Shepherd’s partner and de facto wife, Angela Wells, was a friend of Mayfield’s. In fact, Mayfield was the godmother of Wells’ youngest daughter. Wells, Mayfield and Shepherd formed a fast bond once they realized a shared interest in the supernatural.

The details of the bizarre murder case were brought into the public eye for the first time on Monday when the New South Wales Supreme Court lifted a suppression order on the case following a Wells’ guilty plea. Wells was due to stand trial for the murder on Monday but prosecutors accepted Wells’ guilty plea to a lesser charge of "accessory after the fact".

Shepherd was jailed for 19 years after admitting to Malissa Mayfield’s murder at her Bossley Park home, in southwest Sydney in 2006. Mayfield, 29, died in hospital four days after the attack that took place just yards away from where her two young daughters lay sleeping.

''(Shepherd) told the deceased that he had psychic powers and that he could remove her bad demons by sleeping with her,'' Justice Peter Hidden said when sentencing Shepherd in December.

"Ms. Wells had also told her that the offender could give her pleasure, and that if she had sex with him all the evil spirits would go.''

Shepherd and Mayfield did sleep together on more than one occasion, but Justice Hidden said Wells soon became afraid of the "hysteria'' of his beliefs.

''(Shepherd) would phone the deceased and say to her such things as 'Don't go to work, you're going to get killed' and 'Something bad's going to happen','' the judge said. Shepherd told police that he heard voices, including one named Johnny, which Wells also claims to have heard.

Wells was due to stand trial for murder Monday, but prosecutors accepted a guilty plea to the lesser charge of being an accessory after the fact. Wells, 29, showed no emotion as she stood in front of the judge quietly responded "guilty, your honor'' to the charge of knowingly assisting Shepherd after he had murdered Mayfield.