A jealous ex-boyfriend stabbed to death his former partner, who was eight months pregnant with his baby, after she formed a relationship with another man.
Aaron McKenzie, 25, denies murdering Kelly Fauvrelle at her home in Thornton Heath, south London and has pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter of their baby, Riley, and possession of an offensive weapon.
This morning we heard the sad news that baby boy, Riley, the son of murdered Kelly Mary Fauvrelle has died in hospital. Our thoughts remain with his family
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) July 3, 2019
Detectives investigating the murder of his mother in #ThorntonHeath have released CCTV footage of a man they wish to trace pic.twitter.com/VLia7gVV49
On Tuesday, 30 June, prosecutor Duncan Penny QC told a jury at the Old Bailey that Kelly was attacked in bed at her home in Thornton Heath, south London, in the “dead of night” on 29 June 2019.
Mr Penny said: “At 3.15am an intruder broke into her bedroom through patio doors at the rear. That intruder proceeded to launch a vicious and cowardly attack. He inflicted 21 stab wounds. In the process the intruder not only murdered Kelly Fauvrelle but also killed inflicted fatal injuries on Riley, her unborn child. That intruder was this defendant.”
He said Kelly suffered “catastrophic” injuries and paramedics who arrived at the scene decided to carry out an emergency Caesarean in a bid to save Riley’s life. But four days later he died in hospital as a result of brain damage.
The prosecutor said McKenzie left the scene and “carried on as if nothing had happened”, even taking a driving lesson later that morning.
Mayor @SadiqKhan: "#Violence against women is endemic in society and devastating murders in the home, like this one, show the scale of the problem we face." Update on the horrific murder of 8-month-pregnant Kelly Mary Fauvrelle #VAWG https://t.co/tPF0IChrou pic.twitter.com/ZCJZRzs7WG
— Refuge (@RefugeCharity) July 20, 2019
The jury was told Kelly discovered she was pregnant in December 2018 when she collapsed at her workplace, Royal Mail in Croydon. She was taken to hospital and was informed by nurses that she was pregnant.
But Mr Penny said Kelly told her mother her relationship with McKenzie was “toxic” and she broke up with him on 10 February 2019.
The jury heard McKenzie struggled to accept the relationship was over and suffered from “desperate jealousy” when he learned in June that she had a new boyfriend, a man called Rolander.
CCTV footage was shown to the jury of McKenzie riding his Yamaha motorcycle on the evening before the murder, despite having reported it stolen a week earlier. The prosecution claim he rode the bike to the crime scene a few hours later.
Kelly's sister Melissa then gave evidence and sobbed as she described being woken by Kelly's screams and discovering her covered in blood.
Kelly Fauvrelle's sister Melissa is now giving evidence. She is sobbing as she describes the night of the murder. She was women by her sister's screams and ran into her bedroom to find her covered in blood...
— Total Crime (@totalcrime) June 30, 2020
She said she was shocked and initially thought she might have been attacked by a fox which had come in from the garden but then she saw her slash injuries and she screamed for her brothers to call an ambulance.
Earlier Mr Penny said McKenzie stayed at a friend’s house in Thornton Heath on the night of the attack but later claimed he had been asleep at his mother’s home in Peckham at the time of the murder.
The prosecutor said detectives later discovered that McKenzie had accessed his ex-girlfriend's email and was reading her emails for around 90 minutes around midnight on the night she died. He said one email which would have been of particular interest to McKenzie was a receipt for some clothes which Kelly had bought for her new boyfriend.
Jilted lover 'stabbed heavily pregnant ex 21 times' https://t.co/w26baL3AMq
— CourtNewsUK (@CourtNewsUK) June 30, 2020
Mr Penny said McKenzie, who has Autism Spectrum Disorder, told a string of “lies” to police during interviews before he finally confessed.
On 11 July McKenzie said: "I had nothing to do with Kelly's murder" but two days later he changed his tune.
This time he said: "I wish it never happened...It was definitely not planned. But I had been feeling anxious and depressed...I also had evil thoughts and anger."
McKenzie denied being aware Kelly had a new boyfriend but said he rode his motorcycle to her home around 3am, adding: "I don't know what my attention was at that time."
He said he entered her bedroom, armed with a knife and added: "I still did not know what I was planning to do."
McKenzie said when Kelly woke up and saw him standing over her with a knife she "panicked" and screamed and he said: "I just thought 'I am here now, I've just got to finish it off'."
He said he stabbed her "several times" and then fled.
McKenzie said: "Afterwards, nothing sunk in. It didn't seem real. As if it was never me. It had nothing to do with me. As if it was someone else. I was genuinely upset that Kelly and then my baby had both been killed...It is a weird feeling. I can't explain more."
The trial - which is being carried out with social distancing measures in place, including jurors being forced to sit two metres apart - is expected to last several weeks.
