Former St Louis television news anchor Angelynn Mock has been sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing her 80-year-old mother in Wichita, Kansas.
Mock, 48, pleaded guilty to first-degree felony murder in August and was sentenced on Monday in Sedgwick County District Court. She will be eligible for parole after 25 years under the so-called “hard 25” sentence.
Former news anchor sentenced over Halloween killing
The case centred on the death of Anita Avers, who was found with multiple stab wounds at the home she shared with Mock and her husband in south Wichita on October 31, 2025.
Police responding to a report of a stabbing found Ms Avers unresponsive in bed. She was taken to hospital but later pronounced dead.
Court documents said Mock stabbed her mother 12 times. A probable cause affidavit also stated that Mock believed Ms Avers was the devil and said she had killed her “to save herself”.
Mock’s stepfather told investigators that she had experienced serious mental health problems, including delusions and depression. Reports said she had initially been diagnosed with bipolar disorder before doctors later considered schizoaffective disorder.
A judge ruled in July that Mock was competent to stand trial, overturning an earlier finding that she was not fit to proceed. She entered her guilty plea on August 21.
Judge Jeffrey Goering imposed the life sentence. Mock indicated that she would not appeal, according to reports from the sentencing hearing.
Before leaving broadcasting, Mock worked as a news anchor and reporter for Fox 2 KTVI in St Louis between 2011 and 2015. She had previously been a morning anchor at KOKH-TV in Oklahoma City.
