‘Jealous’ ex-lover murdered heavily-pregnant Royal Mail worker, 26, court hears

A jealous ex murdered the heavily pregnant mother of his unborn child by stabbing her 21 times after she left him for another man, a trial has heard.

Aaron McKenzie used his knowledge of Kelly Mary Fauvrelle’s home in Thornton Heath, South London, to break in on June 29 last year before launching a brutal attack, it is claimed. 

Baby Riley was delivered via emergency C-section at the scene – seven weeks before the due date – but died after four days on a ventilator in hospital.

Aaron McKenzie was said to be in a ‘toxic’ relationship with Miss Fauvrelle before she left him for a fellow postie last year 

Ms Fauvrelle, 26, was in a ‘toxic’ relationship with McKenzie for around a year before she left him for fellow postie Rolander Chigwada in March last year.

She promised she would not deny McKenzie his child after discovering she had fallen pregnant but he complained that he felt ‘not wanted,’ the Old Bailey heard.

McKenzie allegedly scoured the victim’s email account in the hours before the killing, realising she had moved on when he found an online receipt for men’s clothing she bought for her new lover.

McKenzie had bonded with Ms Fauvrelle over their shared love of motorcycles and wheeled his bike through her alleyway to gain access to the house on the night of the killing, jurors heard.

He grew close with her family and was nicknamed ‘Ty’ by her brothers, it was said.

McKenzie was caught on CCTV running from the scene in Raymead Avenue before appearing on his Yamaha R1 in a nearby street moments later, it was said. 

The alleged killer fled the scene as the victim’s sister and mother were woken by her screams and rushed downstairs, it was said.

Kelly Mary Fauvrelle’s family heard the brutal attack as she was knifed 21 times in her bedroom, a court has heard

Prosecutor Duncan Penny QC said: ‘In the early hours of the morning of Saturday 29 June 2019 within a family home in Thornton Heath in South London, Kelly Fauvrelle, a heavily pregnant young woman lay in her bed in the middle of the night.

‘In her womb, she was carrying a little boy, who was later to be named Riley during his very short life.

Kelly Mary Fauvrelle bonded with McKenzie over their shared love of motorcycles, it is claimed

‘She was 33 weeks pregnant. But when she had gone to bed on the night of Friday 28 June 2019, she had retired to her bedroom whilst all around her, under the same roof, other members of her family slept in the various other bedrooms of the house.

‘Kelly’s bedroom was on the ground floor at the rear of the family house at Raymead Avenue, Thornton Heath.

‘At around 3.15 am that morning, however, an intruder broke into her bedroom through the rear patio doors which formed part of the back wall of her room onto the back garden.

‘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. That intruder was this defendant, Aaron McKenzie.

‘As well as being their killer, the intruder was, in fact, both the former partner of Miss Fauvrelle and the father of Riley, the unborn child.

‘The Crown’s case is that this was a vicious and a deliberate killing – perhaps you will conclude in due course the cowardly response of a man desperately jealous about the fact that the mother of his child yet to be born had moved on and now wanted very little to do with him.

‘Whilst the motivation of this defendant may remain unclear at the conclusion of this trial, what he did that night and what he intended in that attack most certainly does not.’

Police and forensic teams carried out investigations at the home of Ms Fauvrelle in Thornton Heath, South London last year 

McKenzie allegedly took a driving lesson the following day before being visited by police and told of the tragic news.

He gave officers the wrong phone number to cover his tracks and ‘cruelly’ lied that he had been at his mother’s house and knew nothing of the killing, the court heard.

‘In due course he attended the hospital where medical staff were fighting to save the life of his child – all the while he too posing as a victim,’ the prosecutor said.

‘The truth, however, was very very different, because as he was ultimately to tell police “no one else was involved in this. There was no reason for it other than my faults”’ 

Ms Fauvrelle sustained ‘catastrophic injuries’ and the decision was made by medics to deliver her baby at the scene, Mr Penny said.

Baby Riley was put on a ventilator but suffered brain damage from lack of oxygen during the traumatic birth.

‘Let me tell you at the outset a little about what happened to Riley. In the aftermath of the commotion in the house, it will not surprise you to learn that the emergency services were contacted.

‘The injuries to Kelly were so catastrophic that by the time the paramedics and ambulance technicians got to her she was in a very poor state indeed. 

The victim broke up with McKenzie last February and had been excited about her new life after learning of a promotion and starting her relationship with Mr Chigwada, the court heard.

‘In 2019 Kelly had been working for Royal Mail. In September 2018 she was offered a job as a postwoman with Royal Mail,’ the prosecutor said.

‘By March 2019 she appears to have been made aware of a new opportunity within her work place which she was very excited about.

‘It would also appear that it was at her work place that she met a man called Rolander – also an employee of Royal Mail. As time went on, she was to develop a closeness to this man.

‘However, it is clear that in fact by the early months of 2019 the relationship between Kelly and the defendant was coming to an end.

‘The record of the messages between the two of them makes it clear that the relationship was brought to an end by Kelly.

‘To be precise, the messaging between the two of them suggests that she ended the relationship on 10 February 2019.

‘At around this time, and throughout the spring and early summer it would appear that she had begun to spend more time with her male colleague from work called “Ro” whom she had come to call King.

‘Although initially she was secretive about this relationship with Ro, by the summer of 2019 she had begun to be more open on the topic, at least with her sister Melissa.

‘Ro had given her a pair of trainers for her birthday and Melissa noticed that in the week before her death Kelly had begun to wear a bracelet bearing the name “Queen” on her wrist, matching the name King which Kelly tended to use for Ro.’

The happy new couple had arranged for Rolander to meet Ms Fauvrelle’s family the week after the horrific killing took place, jurors heard.

‘Melissa’s recollection was that arrangements had been made for Ro to meet Kelly’s family on Monday 1 July 2019, she also recalls that Kelly was feeling upbeat because there was a possibility of a new job within the union at the Royal Mail.

‘It does not appear, however, that in the period from the break up onwards she disclosed the existence of this new developing relationship to the defendant.

‘Indeed, meantime, the contrast in the nature of the messages between Kelly and the defendant before and after 10 February is, you may think, stark.’ 

McKenzie, of Friary Estate, Peckham, denies murder, manslaughter and possession of an offensive weapon.

The trial continues.