Kasey Anderson’s sister recounts his life, marked by abuse and a fatal attack by his girlfriend, hoping to raise awareness.
Molly said Kasey loved the outdoors and often went fishing with his cousins. Growing up, Molly and Kasey were very close, playing football and riding bikes together. Molly is now 24 and remembers they shared a personality. Everything was funny to them.
Molly fondly remembers them as crazy kids. Kasey changed when he started dating Natalie Bennett. Bennett was a mother of four, twice Kasey’s age. Molly said Kasey lost himself with her, becoming a shell of his former self.
Kasey used to be the life of the party, but he became withdrawn. He stopped smiling and gave short answers. Kasey’s family witnessed emotional and physical harm, which started when Kasey was with Bennett.
Kasey would visit family with injuries, including black eyes and bruises. His family tried to get him to end the relationship, but Kasey stayed with Bennett. Molly said they knew what was happening, and it felt like they were completing his puzzle.
Bennett stabbed Kasey repeatedly on March 12, 2023. Molly described it as a vicious, calculated attack. He died in the hospital on March 31, one week before his 25th birthday. Molly hopes Kasey’s story helps other men and wants them to know help exists.
Kasey was born in April 1998 and was raised by Graham, Jackie, and Denise with his siblings. He played football for Everton FC, and his photo was on billboards.
Kasey loved doing things outside, Molly said. He enjoyed football and fishing and loved going to the woods. His cousins took him fishing, and later, he took his cousins’ kids, passing on his love for fishing.
He fished and camped up until two weeks before he died and loved animals. The family had hamsters, dogs, and ferrets. He worked actively with his friend Mikey in landscaping and also in warehouses. He’d leave jobs when he was with Natalie.
When Kasey was 18, a two-year relationship ended, and he started dating Bennett soon after. Molly says rumors started spreading in their area about them being seen out together.
He drank with her, and they would see themselves in public. He liked nights out with friends and festivals. He loved his clothes and looked fresh before Natalie, clean-shaven with styled hair; he looked messy with Natalie.
Molly recalls fights about Kasey’s relationship. Bennett was known on their estate. She would show up drunk at family homes, entering Kasey’s aunt’s and grandmother’s homes.
Bennett manipulated Kasey, twisting his family’s complaints to her advantage. Molly thinks he knew, but wouldn’t admit it. He disappeared when he was with Natalie and wouldn’t discuss her.
He never spoke badly about her because he was too kind. He loved his family but became nasty with them after dating Natalie. Bennett was violent and deceitful and had prior arrests for violence and dishonesty, including assaulting her boyfriend.
Molly said they saw everything that happened, including black eyes and cysts. They saw scratches and bruises, and he had two black eyes at Molly’s birthday. Everyone knew where he got them, and Molly said she was going to kill him.
Neighbors heard raised voices on the day of the attack coming from Bennett’s house, followed by banging. They thought someone was trying to kick down the door.
It was Kasey, bleeding heavily and seeking help because Bennett had stabbed him. She stabbed Kasey in the heart and tried to stab his head. He was on his neighbor’s path when he called 999 and said he was dying. Bennett lied and said he was already hurt.
Molly shares Kasey’s story, hoping to raise awareness and encourage support for abuse victims.
Molly says the day of the stabbing was strange. She had been out with friends in Newcastle and was back at a hotel when she got a message about police at Natalie’s house.
She tried to call Kasey before because she had a bad feeling. Her aunt said Kasey was stabbed. Kasey called his aunt and said he loved them before calling for help. Molly said her life flipped then.
Kasey went to the hospital, and doctors put him in a coma. He had heart surgery and had seizures when they tried to wake him. A brain scan showed no hope. He died when they turned off life support after 35 hours.
Bennett was charged with Kasey’s murder after his death. The trial took place in October 2023, and the jury found her guilty in four hours. Molly said the court process shocked her.
She didn’t know what to expect and wondered how she’d cope. Natalie acted like it was a joke and showed no remorse, Molly said. She is a mother of four, and Molly questioned how she could take someone’s child. She never showed any tears and badmouthed Kasey in court.
Bennett denied murdering Kasey during the trial, blaming him and claiming self-defense. She claimed he was a drug dealer. Video showed Bennett not helping Kasey and aiming more blows at him. Bennett received at least 18 years in prison.
Molly says she felt every emotion after Kasey died. Her friends and Kasey’s friends helped greatly, and the community supported them. She’s had counseling and therapy and realized life doesn’t stop.
The Paul Lavelle Foundation supported the Andersons. Paul was killed by his girlfriend in 2017. The foundation supports male abuse survivors and helps families of male victims.
Molly will run a half marathon with Kasey’s best friend, Michael, to raise money for the Paul Lavelle Foundation. They helped a lot after Kasey died, she said, and showed her she isn’t alone. She wants to spread awareness and support and hopes more men get support.
Molly keeps Kasey’s memory alive because he wouldn’t want her in pain. She killed him, but not all of them. Molly wants to share Kasey’s story because he was a happy, popular, normal guy and this can happen to anyone.