HUNTED DOWN
Chilling moment mum, 26, runs for her life as she’s chased down by ‘sadistic’ ex before he stabs her to death in street
Footage also shows moment evil killer was arrested in his underwear
THIS is the chilling moment a mum ran for her life after spotting her "sadistic" ex before he stabbed her to death in the street.
Courtney Mitchell, 26, was out with two friends when Logan Burnett, 27, began storming over to them armed with two knives.
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The terrified pals broke into a run as Burnett gave chase - with harrowing footage showing Courtney desperately trying to shake him.
Tragically, the killer managed to catch up with his ex and shoved her against a wall during the horror in Ipswich, Suffolk.
Burnett then began stabbing Courtney in the middle of street using a long knife.
One of the blows was so powerful it bent the blade, with the mum-of-three later heard crying: "Am I going to die?"
Courtney was rushed to hospital but tragically couldn't be saved and died shortly after.
Burnett was later arrested in just his underwear and chillingly asked cops as he was led away: "What, so she died, yeah?"
The killer, who has 24 previous convictions for 52 offences, was jailed for life with a minimum of 24 years after being convicted of murder.
Sentencing, Judge Martyn Levett described the horror as a "personal execution" and said Burnett had "hunted [Courtney] down as if she was your quarry".
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In a powerful victim impact statement, Courtney's mum Samantha Mitchell, said: "The day my little girl died my whole world shattered into a million pieces - no parent should have to bury their child.
"The connection I have to my children is unreal and my body tried to warn me that something was catastrophically wrong - I knew from my mother's instinct that Courtney was gone.
"I didn't want to process that someone had ripped my child away from me and I feel so traumatised by the fact she would have been so scared and I wasn't there. The day she died she took a piece of my heart with her."
She then turned to Burnett directly and asked him: "Why did you hurt my baby?"
Samantha added: "Courtney will not be known as a girl who died at the hands of a monster."
Ipswich Crown Court heard Burnett and Courtney had been in a relationship but she broke up with him a month before he killed her.
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The mum had moved from Ipswich to Colchester in a bid to make a fresh start but had returned to her home town on August 6 last year.
At the time of the murder, Burnett was on bail after he went to Courtney's new home and ransacked it - ripping radiators off the wall and causing extensive water damage.
The night before he hunted her down, the abusive monster had sent his ex a chilling message warning he would stab her and her new boyfriend then "kill her whole family".
Burnett, who had was banned from communicating with Courtney or visiting her address, also bragged about how murdering her would make him "Facebook and news famous".
The mum had spent the evening "drinking and enjoying" her time with her pals when the horror unfolded.
The trio had been walking towards a skate park just after 7pm when they were ambushed by the killer, who had two knives.
Courtney was heard screaming and seen crouched down "trying to protect herself" as Burnett repeatedly stabbed her in a "cold and deliberate" manner.
She was declared dead just 45 minutes later after suffering catastrophic blood loss.
How you can get help
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].
Women’s Aid provides a - available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
In a joint statement, her family said: "Women are dying every day at the hands of men, but enough is enough and it is time we take a stand and fight back."
They told how in the final six months of her life, "monster" Burnett had taken everything from her.
The family continued: "Even though we got some justice today for our daughter, it will not bring her back and no justice will ever be enough - my baby is gone forever.
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"We have made a promise to Courtney to keep her memory alive and she will not just be remembered as another young woman who got murdered - she will not be another statistic.
"We vow to her to do everything in our power to raise awareness in her name [of domestic violence]. This is a national problem that needs to be taken seriously."
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