The last words uttered by murder victim Kristina Bennett were professions of love and devotion for the man who killed her.

Details of the Whitby mom’s death — and her tumultuous relationship with Matthew Coussons, the man who stabbed her to death in June 2016 — were read into the court record last Thursday when Coussons pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

Prosecutor Michael Hill presented a narrative that described Coussons, who was 29 at the time of the killing, as a jealous and controlling man who alternated between expressions of affection and menacing threats toward the 25-year-old Bennett.

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“Ms. Bennett said she loved Mr. Coussons, but did not like his jealousy,” Hill said.

Police reviewed more than 15,000 texts between Coussons and Bennett, among them communications that revealed Coussons to be suspicious and prone to bouts of rage.

“I’m gonna have to stab you,” Coussons wrote in one text.

“He assured her he was not joking and called her names,” Hill said.

A man with a lengthy record for violent offences, Coussons had been declared a dangerous offender and was under a long-term supervision order, with terms that he reside at a Toronto halfway house and refrain from drinking alcohol, Hill said.

In 2016, those conditions were altered to allow Coussons overnight visits with Bennett at her home in Whitby, court heard.

“Mr. Coussons was exercising an overnight pass when he murdered Ms. Bennett,” Hill said.

On June 24, 2016, Coussons met Bennett in Whitby and they bought a 40-ounce bottle of vodka, court heard. They spent part of the evening at the home of Coussons’ mother, who was a neighbour of Bennett’s on Eric Clarke Dr.

Coussons left to put Bennett’s infant son to bed while Bennett stayed behind. In the few minutes they were apart, Coussons sent Bennett dozens of texts, most of them “drunken gibberish,” Hill said.

When Bennett returned home, an angry Coussons accused her of cheating on him and struck her in the face with a backhand slap, causing her to cry, according to the details read into the record. Coussons went to the kitchen, grabbed a serrated knife and attacked Bennett.

“As he was stabbing her, he told her he was sorry,” Hill said. Later, when Coussons recounted the killing, “He remembered Ms. Bennett saying, ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t cheat on you. I love you. Let’s not fight,’ ” Hill said.

“And then she died.”

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Coussons took pictures of himself with Bennett’s body, then covered her with a blanket, showered and fell asleep. In the morning, he dropped the child off at his sister’s house and went to the Durham police station in downtown Oshawa, where he confessed to the killing.

During Thursday’s hearing, Coussons, handcuffed, his face covered in tattoos and wearing jeans and a black hoodie emblazoned with a True Religion logo, confirmed in a soft voice that he admits guilt and agreed with the synopsis of events read into the record.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Thursday. Coussons faces life in prison with a minimum term of 10 years before parole eligibility. Superior Court Justice Michelle Fuerst will determine Coussons’ parole eligibility after hearing submissions from the Crown and defence.