Former news anchor gets life in prison for killing her mother

A former television news anchor has been sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing her 80-year-old mother at a home in Kansas, on Halloween last year.

Angelynn Mock, 48, pleaded guilty in August 2026 to the first-degree murder of Anita Avers. On Monday, Judge Jeffrey Goering sentenced Mock to life, with eligibility for parole after 25 years.

Mock has confirmed she will not appeal the sentence. 

Sonja Kritzinger, Avers' stepdaughter, described the killing in a statement:

“Angie killed the one woman who loved her unconditionally, Anita, who gave everything - home and comfort - to her.

“She went to her death knowing that it was her daughter that slaughtered her. Anita didn't deserve this."

Kritzinger also recalled the aftermath.

"I scrubbed blood off the floors, walls, and curtains; my husband and a friend of the family removed the mattress and a bedroom carpet.

“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.”

Avers' sister added, “She was stolen from all of us, and there is no ransom to be paid to have her back.”

Avers’ husband Barry allegedly told officers that Mock moved in with them about four or five years prior because she had been laid off due to “an explosive situation involving alcohol.”

 

 

 

 

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The morning of the murder

Authorities were called to a home in the 1500 block of East Crowley on the morning of 31 October 2025, following a reported cutting.

According to the Wichita Police Department, officers found Mock outside the home with cuts on her hands. Inside, they found Avers unresponsive in her bed with multiple stab wounds. She died in hospital a short time later.

Angelynn Mock's news career

Mock's LinkedIn profile states she worked at the Fox Station in St Louis from 2011 to 2015.

Her stepfather told investigators Mock had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and suffered from delusions and depression, a court document states.

At a hearing in November 2025, Goering ordered Mock to undergo a competency evaluation to determine whether she was fit to stand trial.

It was found that during the attack, Mock was suffering from severe delusions, believing her mother was "the devil" and that she was acting in self-defense.

In January 2026, the judge found her incompetent to stand trial, and she was transferred to Larned State Hospital for further evaluation.

Goering then ruled in July that Mock was competent to stand trial. She entered her guilty plea the following month.