Man Who Stabbed Ex-Girlfriend 78 Times — and Then Claimed Self-Defense — Finally Pleads Guilty to Murder

An Australian man has pleaded guilty to killing his ex-girlfriend by stabbing her 78 times inside her home.

Tyrone Thompson admitted to the 2022 murder of Mackenzie Anderson on Tuesday, according to the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC), the Sunday Morning Herald, and the Herald Sun.

The Australian media outlets reported that Thompson, who was 22 at the time of the murder, pleaded guilty to stabbing Anderson, his 21-year-old ex-girlfriend, 78 times during the domestic violence killing.

Thompson, now 25, was two weeks out of jail at the time of the murder and had violated a restraining order Anderson had taken out against him, according to the Sunday Morning Herald.

Anderson, a mother of a then-1-year-old child, was pronounced dead at her home in Mayfield, a suburb of Newcastle, according to ABC.

The outlet reports that Thompson’s sentencing will take place later this month.

Thompson had long denied killing Anderson before suddenly changing his plea this week, one week ahead of his jury trial, according to ABC.

"Today marks a significant development in our long and painful journey … after more than three years, my daughter's ex-boyfriend has pleaded guilty to her murder — just days before the scheduled trial,” Anderson’s mother Tabitha Acret said in a statement, according to the outlet. "Until last week, he had been claiming self-defence, making this last-minute plea change both unexpected and overwhelming."

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Acret, who has pressured lawmakers to implement stricter domestic violence laws, added: "We hope the sentence will truly reflect the severity of this crime, though history has often shown us that justice is not always guaranteed."

"Our fight for accountability continues, our advocacy will not stop," the victim’s mother said after Thompson’s guilty plea Tuesday. "We will continue fighting for other families, raising awareness, and working to prevent further tragedies."

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.