Two teenagers were found guilty of the murder of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey in Warrington, northwest England. The verdict was delivered on Wednesday after a four-week trial at Manchester Crown Court. The teenagers, referred to as Girl X and Boy Y, were both 15 at the time of the crime but are now 16. They both denied involvement in the murder, with each blaming the other.
Brianna Ghey was stabbed 28 times with a hunting knife in a park on February 11. The attack was meticulously planned by the defendants, as evidenced by a handwritten plan and phone messages discovered by detectives. The investigation revealed that the teenagers had a fascination with violence and had previously discussed committing other killings.
The jury, consisting of seven men and five women, reached their verdict after approximately four hours and 40 minutes of deliberation. Justice Amanda Yip addressed the emotional difficulty of the case while speaking to the jury. The judge informed that a life sentence is mandatory for the crime, but the final decision on the minimum term to be served will be made after reviewing psychological reports.
The police concluded that the motive for Brianna’s murder was not transphobia, but rather a result of the defendants’ obsession with murder and desire to kill. Senior Investigating Officer Nigel Parr from Cheshire Police described the murder as senseless, noting Brianna’s trust in one of the defendants, whom she considered a friend.
Both defendants displayed no visible reaction to the verdict. Boy Y, diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and non-verbal, and Girl X, showing traits of autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, had different reactions when leaving the courtroom.
Outside the court, Brianna’s mother, Esther Ghey, expressed the family’s grief and the haunting nature of the crime, while also calling for empathy towards the families of the convicted teenagers.
