Mother Says Her Daughter Lived in 'Fear No Human Should Ever Know' Before Being Fatally Stabbed 78 Times by Ex: Reports

• A grieving mother told a court in Australia that her daughter was suffering a “fear no human should ever know” before she was fatally stabbed 78 times by an ex-boyfriend, a court reportedly heard
• Mackenzie Anderson, 21, was killed on the evening of March 25, 2022, after Tyrone Thompson, 25, allegedly broke into her home in the Newcastle suburb of Mayfield, per the Sydney Morning Herald
• “The night I received the phone call that my daughter had been murdered, it was as if the world spun around me,” the victim’s mother, Tabitha Acret, told Newcastle Supreme Court on Monday, April 28

A grieving mother is speaking out about her daughter’s final moments before she was fatally stabbed 78 times by an ex-boyfriend, according to reports.

On Monday, April 28, Tabitha Acret told the Newcastle Supreme Court in New South Wales, Australia, that her daughter, Mackenzie Anderson, 21, likely suffered a “fear no human should ever know” before she was killed on March 25, 2022, per the Sydney Morning Herald.

Tyrone Thompson, 25, who is accused of stabbing Anderson 78 times with two kitchen knives over two minutes, had been due to stand trial for murder before pleading guilty earlier this month, 9 News reported.

The killing took place 16 days after the suspect had been released on parole after being jailed “for serious domestic violence offences” against the victim, the outlet noted.

Prior to the stabbing, which occurred between 10:48 p.m. and 10:50 p.m. local time, Thompson had broken into Anderson’s apartment in the Newcastle suburb of Mayfield, the Sydney Morning Herald stated. The outlet noted that the victim had made “several” calls to emergency services to say her ex had “broken in.”

Acret told the court in her victim impact statement on Monday, “The night I received the phone call that my daughter had been murdered, it was as if the world spun around me,” according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

“In that moment, I felt that my soul was fractured,” she added, according to the outlet.

“Crime scene cleaners had been in and removed all blood, but there was still a story of violence,” Acret said of returning to the scene, per the ABC.

“We picked up digital trails that told us so much about Mackenzie’s final weeks,” Acret told the court, the outlet stated. “She was sending emails to domestic violence advocacy groups begging for help, wanting help with security doors and cameras.”

“Mackenzie was convinced Tyrone would kill her and she was in fear all the time,” she added, according to the ABC.

Without naming the domestic violence agency, Acret said her daughter had received a reply from one group following her death to say they were “closing” her “request for support,” the Sydney Morning Herald noted.

“Mackenzie did everything she could to try and keep safe, but was constantly failed by the system. Her death was no surprise but instead a death in slow motion,” she added, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Acret told the court, “Along with the immense grief, there is so much sorrow and guilt. I never knew the extent of the violence Mackenzie had experienced until a couple of days before her death,” per the outlet.

Anderson had reportedly asked for a new set of knives for Christmas 2021, and Thompson had allegedly used one of those to kill his ex, the Sydney Morning Herald noted, citing Acret.

On the night of Anderson’s murder, her male friend had reportedly gone to her aid for a second time that evening, and he reportedly saw her lying on the ground with Thompson “standing over her repeatedly stabbing her,” per 9 News.

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The suspect reportedly told police that the former couple had had a heated argument on the night of the incident, and that Anderson had a knife “which he grabbed” before “jumping on her head and stabbing her many times until ‘she f—— stopped,’ ” 9 News reported. Police found the victim unconscious with stab wounds to her face and body when they arrived on the scene, the outlet stated.

Thompson, who has been in custody since his arrest in March 2022, reportedly expressed remorse for the killing in a letter handed to Justice Richard Weinstein as the trial continued on Tuesday, April 29, per 9 News. 

The suspect had previously been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, the outlet stated, adding that his current mental illness diagnosis “involved a mixture of post-traumatic stress disorder with a severe personality disorder.”

The NSW Courts and a lawyer representing Thompson didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.