My sister’s boyfriend murdered her with £2 knife before turning it on himself – then her SON was accused of killing him

MICHAELA Hart ran into her garden screaming for help, her limbs failing as she collapsed to her knees.

She's just been given the devastating news that her sister Tara Reeves, 35, was dead - and her “obsessed boyfriend” was to blame.

Moments after Marlon McIntosh, 35, fatally stabbed her at her Woolwich flat in October 2008, he was confronted by Tara's teenage son Thomas* and turned the knife on himself.

In a sickening twist, the 17-year-old was then accused of killing McIntosh.

He was eventually cleared, but the trauma scarred Michaela, who afterwards struggled to leave her house due to panic attacks and crippling anxiety.

It was only after receiving Unconscious Mind Therapy (UMT) years later that she was able to begin to recover.

Six months ago, her fortitude was tested when Michaela encountered a teenage boy bleeding to death from a knife wound.

She managed to stop her fear taking over and saved his life.

Michaela, 47, from Chelmsford, Essex, told The Sun: “When my brother called to tell me Tara was dead... I was in utter denial.

"When I finally picked up the phone, he managed to get through to me. I remember running into the back garden screaming, ‘Someone help me!’ My neighbour jumped the fence and all I could say was, ‘She’s dead. She’s dead’.

“I just lost it. Then the trauma was worse when I had to identify her body and they told me everything that happened.

“Over the next five years I started suffering really badly with panic attacks and found it difficult to leave the house without having them.

“They were terrifying, I thought I was dying and called an ambulance for one. It was like I was losing control of my mind.

“Anything would trigger them but especially documentaries with a killer boyfriend. I didn’t want to watch them, but felt I had to because of my sister.”

'Obsessed' ex bought £2 knife

Michaela and Tara were always “really close” and supported each other after their mum Patricia, 56, died in 2007.

Less than a year later, Tara was murdered. While Michaela never met McIntosh, she heard he was "obsessed" and "worshipped the ground Tara walked on" during their five-month relationship.

They met at the Woolwich cafe where she worked and after he asked her out "for ages" she finally agreed on a date.

Michaela explained: “My sister told me she had met someone who was really nice and that he wore his heart on his sleeve. They were talking about moving in together.

“After she died, a friend told me they used to argue and on her birthday he pushed her out of a moving car following a row. After that she didn’t want to see him.

After she died, a friend told me they used to argue and on her birthday he pushed her out of a moving car following a row. After that she didn’t want to see him

Michaela Hart

Michaela says the murder was “clearly premeditated” because McIntosh was seen buying a £2 kitchen knife from Wilkinsons on CCTV before going to Tara’s flat.

An argument led to him stabbing her in the neck, which severed her jugular and she died instantly. He also slashed her stomach several times.

Tara’s son, who was in his bedroom, heard screaming and came down with a bat, fearing McIntosh was hitting his mum.

She explained: “He walked out to see blood up the mirrors and saw Tara was dead. Thomas ran into the kitchen and grabbed a knife to defend himself.

“He could hear Marlon saying, ‘I’m sorry Tara, I’m sorry,’ and when he saw Thomas, he walked towards with the knife.

“Marlon stopped and stabbed himself in the neck and head eight times. It was horrendous, Thomas had just seen his dead mother and now Marlon killing himself too.

“He stood there frozen, thinking ‘I hope you die’. Moments later he put the knife back in the drawer and ran away scared.”

Son accused of revenge attack

Police initially suspected Thomas was behind McIntosh’s death because he told police to look for the missing murder weapon under a memorial shrine to his grandma.

But he was cleared when none of his fingerprints were found on the knife and the killer’s wounds indicated he had stabbed himself.

Losing her mum and sister within a year, combined with a series of “toxic relationships” with “aggressive partners”, Michaela spiralled.

“I was too scared to leave the house, even to walk the dogs. I was scared to go to the supermarket and couldn’t sleep," she said.

In 2017, Michaela received Unconscious Mind Therapy from Robert Hisse, who helped her face the trauma.

She believes “thinking about what happened”, understanding the pain and learning coping mechanisms helped her to battle her anxiety issues.

“I still talk to Robert now, it feels like I’m going to cry sometimes but I’m dealing with it rather than keeping it packed away. I’m so much better than I have been before," Michaela said.

Harrowing panic attacks

Michaela's new-found strength was put to the test six months ago when she spotted a group of teenagers fighting.

She recalled: “I saw one lad hit the other and was worried. I went up to the boy to see if he was ok and he looked really grey. He had been stabbed. Seconds later he fell to the ground.

“I had to keep him and his younger brother calm until the ambulance arrived.

"It was horrendous but I felt like I helped him - something I couldn’t do for my sister. I didn’t think I could ever see a stab wound after what she went through but I was calm and saved his life.”

The 16-year-old survived and thanked her - calling her a hero, especially after what happened to Tara.

Michaela said: “It was a lot to deal with as I don’t think I’d grieved for my mum before my sister passed and that all happened in the space of a year.