A bereaved mother is speaking out about her daughter’s final moments before she was fatally stabbed 78 times by an ex-boyfriend, according to reports.
Tabitha Acret told the Newcastle Supreme Court in New South Wales, Australia, on Monday, April 28, that her daughter, Mackenzie Anderson, 21, most likely experienced a “fear no human should ever know” before her death on March 25, 2022, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Tyrone Thompson, 25, who is accused of stabbing Anderson 78 times with two kitchen knives over a two-minute period, was scheduled to stand trial for murder before pleading guilty earlier this month, 9 News reported.
According to the outlet, the killing occurred 16 days after the suspect was released on parole after being jailed “for serious domestic violence offences” against the victim.
Thompson broke into Anderson’s apartment in the Newcastle suburb of Mayfield before the stabbing, which took place between 10:48 p.m. and 10:50 p.m. local time, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. According to the outlet, the victim called emergency services “several” times to report that 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 like my soul was fractured,” she explained, according to the outlet.
“Crime scene cleaners had been in and removed all blood, but there was still a story of violence,” Acret told the ABC after returning to the scene.
“We picked up digital trails that told us so much about Mackenzie’s final weeks,” Acret told the court, according to the outlet. “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 always afraid,” she said, according to ABC.
Without naming the domestic violence agency, Acret stated that her daughter received a response from one group after her death informing her that they were “closing” her “request for support,” according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
“Mackenzie tried everything she could to stay safe, but the system repeatedly failed her. Her death was not a surprise, but rather a slow death,” she told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Acret told the court, “In addition to the immense grief, there is so much sorrow and guilt.” I had no idea the extent of Mackenzie’s abuse until a few days before her death,” according to the outlet.
Anderson reportedly asked for a new set of knives for Christmas 2021, and Thompson allegedly used one of them to kill his ex, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, citing Acret.
On the night of Anderson’s murder, her male friend reportedly came to her aid for the second time that evening, and he saw her lying on the ground with Thompson “standing over her repeatedly stabbing her,” according to 9 News.
The suspect reportedly told police that the former couple had a heated argument 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,'” according to 9 News. When police arrived, they found the victim unconscious with stab wounds to her face and body, according to the outlet.
Thompson, who has been in custody since his arrest in March 2022, reportedly expressed remorse for the killing in a letter delivered to Justice Richard Weinstein as the trial continued on Tuesday, April 29, according to 9 News.
According to the outlet, the suspect was previously diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, and his current mental illness diagnosis “involved a mixture of post-traumatic stress disorder with a severe personality disorder.”
When PEOPLE contacted the NSW Courts and Thompson’s lawyer for more information, neither responded immediately.