# Newcastle mother condemns 22-year sentence for daughter’s killer
Tyrone Thompson was sentenced on 2025-05-02 to 22 years and six months in prison for murdering Mackenzie Anderson, prompting her mother to condemn the penalty as far too light and to call for reform in family violence cases.
The supplied ABC News report says Thompson, 25, pleaded guilty to murdering Anderson, 21, in her Mayfield unit on March 25, 2022. The court heard he stabbed her 78 times after he was released on parole for a previous domestic violence assault against her. Those facts make the case especially grave: the killing was not only brutal, but it occurred after earlier violence and while Thompson was already under supervision.
The mother of the victim, Tabitha Acret, left court visibly distressed and later told reporters that she was “disgusted” by the sentence. She said she planned to continue advocating for women and children at risk of family violence and urged prosecutors to consider appealing the decision. The report frames her response as part grief, part public campaign for stronger accountability.
Justice Richard Weinstein described Anderson’s death as a tragedy for her family and for the community, saying she had lost her life at a time when a long and fulfilling future was still ahead of her. The sentencing remarks also noted Thompson’s significant criminal record, including intimidation and property damage, while citing special circumstances that led to a 10 per cent discount on the sentence because of his age, upbringing and mental health issues.
The report includes several details that show how the attack unfolded. A neighbor reportedly heard Thompson shouting during the assault, and police and court accounts indicated Anderson died within minutes while on the phone to police. The sentence will make Thompson eligible for parole in 2038, a point that has become central to public anger over how the justice system weighed the offense.
This is more than a sentencing story. It is also a case study in how domestic violence cases can move from prior warnings to fatal violence and then to community demands for reform. The report says Premier Chris Minns acknowledged the family’s pain and that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions was considering the sentence under its guidelines.
The evidence packet is detailed enough to support the key facts without speculation. It does not need embellishment: a young woman was killed in a violent assault by a former partner, the killer received a long but controversial sentence, and the victim’s family rejected the idea that justice had been done.
The event date is 2025-05-02. Source 4866 supports the report.
