Kimberly Thompson’s daughter pays tribute to her ‘loving’ mother.

Athena says: “3-4% of children lose their parents before the age of 18. I am part of that percentage.

“However, 0.0004% of children lose their mother because their father killed them. I am now part of that percentage.

“My mom was my best friend, she was meant to be a constant in every part of my life, and I got to make countless more memories with her.

Even though my mother was someone who put effort into everything she did, I lost the one person I knew I could always count on, the one person who filled me with joy effortlessly.

“My life was the best because she was in her and my mother did everything she could to see me smile. She was my rock as I was hers.

“Losing my mother in such a violent and senseless way has completely shattered my world.

“I am battling constant sadness and a deep sense of abandonment.

“My mother deserves more than I can put into words. She did not deserve to have her life taken away from her by a vile, cruel, toxic man.

“I had to watch all my friends, and all my teammates spend time with their moms, post about their moms, make memories with their moms, call their moms, listen to people talk about their moms, but I can’t even mention mine without crying.

“I just want my mom. I want to hug her and tell her how much I love her.”

In his sentencing on Tuesday, Judge Nirmal Shant Casey said Thompson had shown the ultimate act of cowardice and contempt by refusing to attend court “to hear from the family about your grief”.