Man kills parents over dead cat remarks

A man who specialised in family conflict killed his parents with an axe when they laughed at him over the death of his cat.

Stephen Alexander Harper, 44, pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court in Launceston on Friday to the murders of Roderick Alexander Harper, 88, and Helene May Harper, 77.

Prosecutor John Ransom told the court that Stephen Alexander Harper, 44, of east Launceston, had been living in a flat behind his parents' home when he committed the crimes on August 30 last year.

Mr Ransom said Harper, a counsellor who specialised in family conflict, had snapped when his parents laughed at him over the death of his cat, and had repeatedly hit them both over the head with an axe.