WICHITA, Kan. (TCN) — A 48-year-old woman has been handed a life sentence after pleading guilty to fatally stabbing her 80-year-old mother last Halloween.
According to the Wichita Police Department, officers responded to a report of a stabbing on Oct. 31, 2025. They found Anita Avers in her bed, suffering from stab wounds. Court TV reports a cheese grater and knives were found beside her bed.
Avers was pronounced dead at a hospital. Her daughter, Angelynn Mock, was outside the home with wounds on her hands, according to police. She was treated at a hospital for the injuries before being booked into jail on suspicion of first-degree murder.
KMOV reported Mock gave conflicting stories about the homicide, alleging her mother was “spewing venom from her mouth” so she had to defend herself. Mock also alleged that while she was telling her mother about a job interview, her mother became jealous and started chasing her with a knife.
According to KAKE, Mock had once worked as a news anchor in another city and had been laid off due to alcohol issues. A probable cause affidavit obtained by KCWH stated Mock’s stepfather said she had previously been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and that diagnosis was later changed to schizoaffective disorder.
In July, a Sedgwick County judge reversed a previous ruling and found Mock competent to stand trial, KCWH reports.
Mock pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in connection with Avers’ death on Aug. 21. Mock was sentenced to life in prison on Oct. 5, Court TV reports. Under Kansas law, she will be eligible for parole in 25 years.
WABC reports Avers’ stepdaughter, Sonja Kreutziger, told the court at sentencing, “My husband and I helped Dad clean up the mess the next day. … I scrubbed blood off the floors, walls, and curtains, my husband and a friend of the family removed the mattress and a bedroom carpet. … By God’s grace, we were able to remove the ugliness of the act to give Daddy’s house back. However, there is nothing that can bring back the home that it was. There is no way to make sense of what happened that morning.”
According to WABC, Avers was a marriage and family therapist. Her obituary reads, “Anita had many artistic and creative skills, and especially liked to knit and cook. She had a passion for counseling and believed that was her special gift she could give to others.”
According to Court TV, Mock said she does not plan to appeal.
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