Former news anchor pleads guilty to fatally stabbing elderly mother on Halloween

WICHITA, Kan. (TCN) -- A 48-year-old woman has pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing her mother last year on Halloween.

According to the Wichita Police Department, officers responded to a home on Oct. 31, 2025. When they arrived, they found 80-year-old Anita Avers in her bed suffering from multiple stab wounds. She was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.

Officers located the suspect, Angelynn Mock, outside the home. She was also transferred to the hospital for treatment of the wounds on her hands before being taken into custody and booked for first-degree murder.

KMOV reports Mock gave authorities conflicting stories about her mother’s fatal injuries. She alleged her mother was “spewing venom from her mouth,” so she stabbed her to save herself. In another account, Mock alleged her mother became jealous while Mock was telling her about an upcoming job interview and started chasing her around the house with a knife.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Mock’s stepfather said Mock was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and that diagnosis was later changed to schizoaffective disorder, KCWH reports. Mock’s stepfather also said Mock was laid off from her job as a news anchor in St. Louis due to issues with alcohol, KAKE reports.

Mock was initially found incompetent to stand trial in January, but the motion was reversed in July after she was found competent, per KMOV. She pleaded guilty to first-degree murder on Aug. 21. 

According to her obituary, “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.”

KAKE reports Mock is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 5 and she faces a sentence of life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 25 years.

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