A man has been found guilty of stabbing his heavily pregnant ex-girlfriend in a jealous rage, killing both her and their baby.
Aaron McKenzie, 26, broke into Kelly Fauvrelle’s bedroom as she slept and stabbed her 21 times, causing catastrophic injuries.
Their son Riley was delivered by caesarean section but died in hospital four days later.
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The prosecution alleged crane driver McKenzie had killed the 26-year-old Royal Mail worker in a “vicious and cowardly” attack after their “toxic” relationship ended and she moved on.
A jury found McKenzie, from Peckham, south London, guilty of murdering Ms Fauvrelle, who was 33 weeks pregnant, the manslaughter of baby Riley and possession of a knife.
Ms Fauvrelle’s family were sitting in court as the verdict was delivered at the Old Bailey after less than three hours of deliberation on Friday.
As McKenzie was taken from the dock, a man shouted: “How do you feel, you evil coward?” from the public gallery.
Other members in court clapped briefly as another man shouted “it was your baby”.
The court heard how Ms Fauvrelle’s relationship with McKenzie, with whom she shared an interest in motorbikes, had ended early last year.
In February, McKenzie messaged that he was feeling “not needed, not wanted, unimportant and lost” as he appealed to her.
Ms Fauvrelle told him he needed professional help, saying: “Until u get the fact I don’t want to be with you anymore…I will no longer speak or see you unless is about the baby. (sic)”
Last March, Ms Fauvrelle told his mother the relationship was “toxic” but she would not deny him access to their child.
At about 3.15am on 29 June 2019, an intruder broke into Ms Fauvrelle’s family home in Thornton Heath, south London, through patio doors.
A CCTV still released by the Metropolitan Police after Aaron McKenzie, 26, of Peckham, south London, was found guilty of stabbing his pregnant ex-girlfriend Kelly Fauvrelle in June 2019, killing both her and their baby.
Prosecutor Duncan Penny QC said: “That intruder proceeded to launch a vicious and a cowardly attack upon her, inflicting a total of 21 stab wounds with a knife.
“In the process, the intruder murdered not only Kelly Fauvrelle, but through his attack upon Kelly he killed Riley, the unborn child she was carrying.”
Ms Fauvrelle was murdered in her ground floor bedroom as her family slept upstairs, police said.
Hearing her screams, Ms Fauvrelle’s sister went downstairs to find her dying in the bedroom, where a cot had been set up ready for the arrival of her baby.
In the wake of the attack, McKenzie pretended to have nothing to do with it, the court heard.
He went to the hospital where medical staff were trying to save the life of his child, “posing as a victim”, Mr Penny said.
The defendant allegedly lied to police and did not tell them he had spent over an hour before the killing accessing and reading his ex-partner’s emails.
Mr Penny said McKenzie continued to deceive police, hospital staff and Ms Fauvrelle’s family until he was arrested and “confessed”.
Speaking after the verdict, Detective Chief Inspector Mick Norman. of the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “This case has been nothing short of heart-breaking for Kelly’s family and for the officers who have become close to them.
“The agonising loss of such a young woman and her child at a time when they were eagerly awaiting Riley’s birth and looking forward to a happy future is beyond imagining.
“Despite the evidence against him, McKenzie has subjected Kelly and Riley’s family to the trauma of a trial.
“The theft of Kelly and Riley’s happy futures is something that will haunt those who loved her forever and I sincerely hope that Aaron McKenzie is similarly affected as he faces his future incarcerated.”
McKenzie will be sentenced on 17 July.
Additional reporting by Press Association
