Many of us look forward to Christmas but for Shannon Brown it is the most ‘painful’ time of the year after her mother was brutally killed by a university student she had befriended.
Shannon was queuing with her one-year-old daughter Lexi so she could meet Santa, when she received a phone call from her brother telling her that her mother, Michelle Hanson, 47, had been brutally murdered.
The doting grandmother had a tumultuous few years, following several abusive relationships where ‘she lost herself completely’ as well as mental health and financial struggles due to unemployment.
Despite previous challenges, Michelle had managed to get her life back on track and was accepting the help of doctors, but this happy spell would be cruelly cut short after she became friends with Alexander Carr.
The mature University of Sunderland student, 34, viciously took the life of the ‘beautiful, kind, fun-loving’ mother-of-four in her own home on December 1, 2022, stabbing her 29 times to the head and neck.
The violent attack sparked a nationwide manhunt for Carr, who evaded police for 18 days before he was discovered hiding in a tent in an area of wasteland in north London.
Carr admitted to murdering Michelle and was later sentenced to a life with a minimum term of 19 years and three months at Newcastle Crown Court in 2023.
While Carr is behind jail for a few years, Shannon has lost her mother forever and is haunted by thoughts of her traumatic final moments – especially during the festive period.
The heartbroken daughter has been left reeling with grief after Carr ‘stole’ her mother’s life whilst simultaneously robbing her daughter Lexi as well as her unborn baby of a relationship and memories with their grandmother.
Whilst describing the mother-of-four’s kind nature as her ‘downfall’, Shannon told The Sun: ‘She saw the good in Alexander that day, but he took advantage of her kindness, attacking her in her own home before leaving her to die alone.’
Recalling the life-altering moment one of her brother’s informed her that Michelle had been brutally murdered, Shannon was left in a state of disbelief and quickly hurried to her mother’s home where police cars lined the street.
In a desperate pursuit for answers and unable to go inside her mother’s home, she raced to her brother’s house where she was told her mother had been viciously stabbed multiple times to the head and neck.
‘I was sobbing, unable to comprehend who would hurt Mum. She had no abusive partners anymore and she’d just got her life back on track,’ Shannon said.
Her youngest brother Tommy was left ‘traumatised’ by the incident, according to Shannon, who revealed that Carr had visited Michelle whilst he was at her home a couple of days before her body was found.
Prior to entering Michelle’s home, Carr had only ever chatted with the grandmother on the street – but on this fateful day he had asked to pass the time inside Michelle’s home.
Tommy recalled Carr’s behaviour was strange, as he spoke in several different accents whilst guzzling gold vodka directly from the bottle.
Staying true to her kind character, Michelle had offered to buy them a take-away despite Carr’s ‘nuts’ conduct.
Before her son left, the cruel killer smiled in his direction promising to ‘look after’ his mother.
But when Tommy came back to check on Michelle a few days later, he found her dead in a living room covered in blood.
Police were later able to match the DNA on the alcohol bottle to Carr’s – thanks to Tommy’s recollection – and found he had 29 previous violent convictions as well as drug and alcohol problems.
Although the family were relieved when the brutal murderer was eventually taken into custody after an 18-day hunt, they were still left completely lost knowing they would never see Michelle again or hear her silly jokes.
‘I didn’t understand how a man with so many past convictions was able to just walk around a university campus,’ her daughter said.
‘Meanwhile, Tommy completely shut down. The guilt he felt for leaving that day ate him alive. The sight of Mum’s lifeless body haunted him and he developed PTSD too.’
Her grief-stricken brother is now receiving counselling for the trauma he endured in the aftermath of his mother’s brutal murder.
Shannon bravely faced off against her mother’s killer when he appeared in court in May 2023, calling him an ‘evil monster’ as he cowardly stared at the floor.
Carr was diagnosed with personality disorders and the court was told it was somewhat ‘remarkable’ he secured a place at university.
Psychiatrists agreed he was not suffering from a psychotic illness at the time of the murder but had been smoking ‘high potency’ skunk.
Carr pleaded guilty to Michelle’s murder and was handed a life sentence, with a minimum of 19 years and three months.
However Shannon knows her mother’s killer will be out ‘earlier’, whilst she has lost her loving mother forever.
‘Mum was so vulnerable and people took advantage of her kindness her whole life. This happened because she saw the good in Alexander, and trusted him that day,’ she said.
The grieving daughter explained that there wasn’t a moment she did not think of Michelle before adding that whilst she may no longer be with her, her ‘big heart’ will continue to live on for eternity.