Mackenzie Anderson did everything right to feel safe. Then she was stabbed 78 times.

Mackenzie Anderson was so loved. She was a new mother, a daughter, a friend. She deserved to feel safe.

Instead, she was failed, let down by a system that was meant to help her.

On March 25, 2022, Mackenzie was stabbed to death at her home in Mayfield, Newcastle in NSW.

Police arrived about 10:40pm to a "horrendous" scene following reports her former partner Tyrone Thompson had broken into her home.

Thompson was just two weeks out of jail and on parole for a previous domestic violence attack on Mackenzie.

Before his release, he had agreed to a fresh condition on an apprehended domestic violence order: he couldn't contact Mackenzie. This was on top of the mandatory conditions of not assaulting, threatening, stalking, intimidating or harassing the 21-year-old, per the Newcastle News.

Despite this, he spent most of the day socialising with her at the apartment. When she asked him to leave, he refused, prompting Mackenzie to call the police.

Only then did Thompson leave.

But moments later, he returned, storming into Mackenzie's unit and stabbing her 78 times.

Mackenzie was treated at the scene by paramedics, but died from her significant injuries.

She left behind a one-year-old boy.

Thompson was set to go to trial next week, but Mackenzie's family will now be spared that trauma after the now-25-year-old pleaded guilty to murder on Tuesday.

He will face a sentencing hearing at the end of the month.

Watch: Women and violence: The hidden numbers. Post continues below.

At the time, Detective Superintendent Wayne Humphrey described bodyworn footage of the scene as "horrendous".

Her young son, who is not related to Thompson, was found uninjured but "covered in blood".

'That call from police took my breath away.'

Mackenzie's mum Tabitha Acret penned a heartbreaking piece for Mamamia just months after her daughter's death.

It was the day after her birthday. She was on holiday in Cairns with her son and had only just toasted to her marvellous life, sharing how she felt so lucky.

"A couple of hours after police arrived at the scene, I received the call that has changed my life. In that moment it was like time stood still — I almost felt very calm as shock quickly set in," Tabitha wrote.

"I was in shock trying to comprehend what I had just been told; my daughter was gone."

As she travelled back to Sydney, her mind raced over what she could have done differently to prevent the tragedy.

"But also, how am I going to tell my son his sister has died? How am I going to tell the rest of my family? How am I going to survive?"

Mackenzie Anderson was just 21 when she was murdered. Image: Instagram/theyareyourdaughters.

In the weeks and months that followed, Tabitha went into survival mode. She had to stay strong for her son and for Mackenzie's little boy.

Each milestone — Easter, her son's birthday, Mazkenzie's son's birthday, her own birthday — is a cruel reminder of the hole her daughter's death left in her life.

"My daughter's birthday was a horrible reminder of how young her life was, how much of her potential was ripped away and how her son will now navigate life without her," Tabitha wrote.

"My life has gone from marvellous to survival where many days you question the want to survive."

But each day, Tabitha wakes up and chooses to fight. She channelled her grief into action and launched They Are Our Daughters, an advocacy page and podcast calling for action on domestic violence.

Mackenzie was a young mum to a little boy. Image: Instagram/theyareyourdaughters.

Speaking to Mamamia after her daughter's death, Tabitha said she hopes for greater action on violence against women.

She wants ankle monitoring bracelets for domestic violence offenders, stronger parole and bail restrictions, and nationwide education on coercive control, so that victim-survivors across the country know what the laws mean for their safety. She's also campaigning for compulsory counselling and rehabilitation programs for offenders.

"It's not just reactive measures that we need, but preventative too. Because if we really want change, we need to get to the root of the problem," Tabitha said.

"The night that Mackenzie was murdered, my partner said to me, 'I can't believe this has happened.' I turned to him and said — 'believe it. It happens every week. We've just now become a part of it'."

'Lost but never forgotten.'

Following Thompson's guilty plea, she shared a powerful message saying there was still a long road ahead.

"We are relieved our family and friends do not have to endure the further trauma of trial where we would have been subjected to photos and videos of the night. But this process is far from over," she wrote.

"We are hoping for a sentence that reflects the crime but history has not shown us that this is the case all the time. So the fight continues.

"The overwhelming feeling of today is sadness. We miss our daughter so much, no matter what the punishment is we never get her back and our lives are forever changed.

"My advocacy will continue, my flight will continue to help other families and hopefully prevent more deaths and trauma."

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In a touching tribute to Mackenzie, Tabitha asked people to have a dance and sing out loud for her daughter.

"For her life was worthy of celebration and let's remember the beautiful smiley girl we lost but never forgotten."

This article was published in March 2022 and has been updated.

Feature Image: Instagram/theyareourdaughters.