A former St. Louis television news anchor has been sentenced to life in prison after admitting that she killed her 80-year-old mother in Wichita, Kansas, on Halloween last year.
Angelynn Mock, 48, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the death of Anita Avers. On October 5, 2026, a judge sentenced Mock to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 25 years. She will receive credit for 339 days already served, but she will not be able to further reduce the sentence through good-time credits.
Mock cried during the sentencing hearing as members of Avers’ family described the impact of the killing. She did not address the court.
Avers’ stepdaughter told the judge that the family was still struggling to understand how the woman they knew as kind and gentle could have attacked her mother. She also described Avers as a loving and compassionate woman who had spent years helping others.
The killing happened on October 31, 2025, at a home in the 1500 block of East Crowley in Wichita. Police were called shortly before 8 a.m. after a report of a stabbing. Officers found Mock outside the home and discovered Avers unresponsive in her bed with multiple stab wounds. Avers was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Investigators said Mock had blood on her when officers arrived. Police records show she was arrested that morning on a first-degree murder charge.
Mock initially told investigators that she had acted in self-defense. According to the arrest affidavit, she said she had gone to speak with her mother about a possible job and found Avers in bed with knives. Mock claimed her mother attacked her and that she grabbed a knife and fought back.
Investigators noted that Mock gave inconsistent accounts about who attacked first. She also had cuts on her hand and was treated at a hospital following the incident.
The case later raised questions about Mock’s mental health and her ability to participate in court proceedings. A judge ruled in January that she was not competent to proceed and ordered her hospitalized for treatment. By July, after receiving an updated medical report, the judge determined that she was competent to continue with the case.
Mock had previously worked as a morning news anchor, the Fox affiliate in St. Louis, from 2011 through 2015. Her stepfather told investigators that she had later lost her television job following what he described as an alcohol-related incident.
Avers had a professional life centered on helping other people. She was a licensed clinical marriage and family therapist and had worked with adults dealing with issues including depression, anxiety, trauma, mood disorders and relationship problems.
The family’s victim-impact statements focused not only on the loss of Avers but also on the way the killing changed a holiday that had once been associated with family traditions.
For relatives, Halloween now carries memories of the day Avers was killed rather than the celebrations they once shared.
At Monday’s sentencing, the judge followed the punishment required under Kansas law for Mock’s conviction. Mock also told the court she did not want to appeal the sentence.
Mock will now begin serving her life sentence for the killing of her mother. Under the sentence imposed by the court, she will become eligible for parole after serving 25 years.
