Former TV news anchor sentenced for killing 80-year-old mother in Wichita

A former news anchor accused of stabbing her mother to death on Halloween has been sentenced to serve life in prison, the district attorney’s office said Monday.

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48-year-old Angelynn E. Mock of Wichita pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree felony murder in the Oct. 31, 2025, death of her mother, Anita L. Avers.

Mock had been living with her mother and step-father in a home in the 1500 block of East Crowley when she fatally attacked her mother on Halloween morning while Avers was in bed, a probable cause affidavit said.

After calling the police to report the stabbing, Mock told officers she killed her mother “to save herself” after Avers “started spewing venom at me,” the affidavit said. The court document also said Mock struggled with her mental health and suffered from schizoaffective disorder, a serious mental illness that caused hallucinations, angry outbursts and delusional states.

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In January, a court evaluation found that Mock was not competent to stand trial. After receiving further treatment and evaluation at a state hospital, she was deemed competent and later pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder.

On Monday, Mock was sentenced to serve to life in prison, a spokeswoman with the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office said. She’ll have the possibility of parole after 25 years.

This story was originally published October 5, 2026 at 3:07 PM with the headline “Former TV news anchor sentenced for killing 80-year-old mother in Wichita.”

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