Killer who stabbed ex-partner 78 times faces sentencing
Mark Russell |
A man who viciously stabbed to death his ex-girlfriend while on parole for domestic violence offences against her is about to be sentenced.
Tyrone Thompson, 25, is due to be sentenced at the Newcastle Supreme Court on Friday for murdering Mackenzie Anderson in 2022.
In a terrifying two-minute tirade, Thompson stabbed the 21-year-old woman 78 times with two kitchen knives.
Thompson was due to stand trial for murder before pleading guilty in April.
In a letter tendered to court, Thompson claimed he loved Ms Anderson and was sorry for what he had done but never planned to hurt her.
He claimed they struggled with a knife during an argument and when his hand was cut “something inside me lost control”.
The apology letter contained an element of victim-blaming, prosecutors alleged.
The defence argued it showed remorse but no real insight into his actions.
Thompson killed Ms Anderson 16 days after his release on parole after being jailed for serious domestic violence offences against her.
He broke into her apartment in the Newcastle suburb of Mayfield on March 25, 2022.
A male friend who’d gone to her aid for a second time during the night looked through a gap in her blocked door and saw her lying on the ground with Thompson standing over her repeatedly stabbing her.
Thompson was not saying a word.
Police arrived and found Ms Anderson with stab wounds to her face and body. A broken knife handle lay on top of the left side of her chest.
Thompson was mentally ill but not psychotic when he stabbed his ex-girlfriend 78 times, the court previously heard.
He was suffering from a complex post traumatic stress disorder and severe personality disorder – but not psychosis – when he brutally murdered the young woman.
Thompson’s lawyer has previously said the mental illness would have to come into play when assessing his moral culpability for the crime.
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