Warrington, Cheshire – Two teenagers have been named after being found guilty of the brutal murder of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey and are facing life in prison. Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, both 16 years old now but 15 at the time of the incident, have been identified as the perpetrators of the “frenzied and ferocious” killing. The transgender teenager was lured to a village near Warrington, Cheshire, and stabbed 28 times with a hunting knife on February 11th.
During the sentencing hearing, victim impact statements were read out by family members, including Brianna’s mother and father. They expressed their grief, with her mother requesting that the accused never be released from prison, while her father labeled them as “pure evil.”
Trial judge Mrs. Justice Yip lifted the anonymity orders, allowing the names of the teen killers to be revealed to the public. The court heard how the defendants held a fascination for violence, torture, and murder, with the judge emphasizing the exceptional nature of the case.
The prosecution argued that the murder was at least partially motivated by Brianna’s transgender identity. Messages found on the defendants’ phones detailed an earlier attempt to poison Brianna with an overdose. Detectives found the murder weapon with Brianna’s blood on the blade in Ratcliffe’s bedroom, along with heavily blood-stained clothing and trainers.
Speaking after the guilty verdicts, Detective Chief Superintendent Mike Evans, head of crime at Cheshire Police, branded the killers as “arrogant”, believing they would not be caught.
The harrowing case has prompted candlelit vigils worldwide, although detectives believe Brianna was killed not as a hate crime but because she was vulnerable and accessible, done for the “enjoyment” and a “thirst for killing.”