Avon and Somerset PoliceFour teenagers have been jailed for life for the murders of best friends Max Dixon and Mason Rist – who were killed in a case of mistaken identity in January.
Mason, 15, and Max, 16, were stabbed to death yards from Mason’s front door in Knowle West, Bristol.
Riley Tolliver, 18, and Kodishai Wescott, 17, who can be named after restrictions were lifted on first reporting, were told they will each be jailed for a minimum of 23 years.
A 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were given life sentences with minimum terms of 15 and 18 years respectively.
Family handoutMax and Mason were killed on January 27 after being mistakenly identified as those responsible for throwing bricks at a house in Hartcliffe that evening.
The four teenage defendants saw two best friends While being driven around Noel West by the fifth defendantAnthony Snook, 45, was seeking “revenge”, the court heard earlier.
The five were convicted of two counts of murder last month after a six-week trial at Bristol Crown Court. Snook was later sentenced to life in prison and served a minimum of 38 years in prison.
The ashes were carried by the sister.
Before the teenagers were sentenced, statements written by Max and Mason’s mothers and sisters were read in court, ending with Mason’s sister, Chloe Rist, carrying a packet containing her brother’s ashes and hair, and A print of his hand was taken. after his death.
Ms Rist told how Mason was diagnosed with autism at the age of three, which meant the family protected him because he was “weak and harmless”.
She spoke of the devastating impact his death had on her family, including the “ripple effect” of her grandmother’s heart attack and the premature birth of her baby.
At the end of her statement, she picked up packets of Mason’s ashes and hair, as well as handprints, and spoke directly to the defendants.
“These are Mason’s ashes and this is what you did. If anyone is offended by bringing me to court today, that’s all I have left for them,” he said.
“I must not even look at the fragments of my brother’s bones.
“I also have a piece of her hair with her blood on it, if you want to see it?
“This is my dead brother’s handprint. Another thing you have done. I should be able to hold my brother’s hand, not see it on a piece of paper. I leave it all to him. “
‘didn’t deserve to die’
Max’s mother, Leanne Acland, also read a statement in court, telling the defendants: “As much as I know Max would want me to get on with life, it’s really not that easy because he was the reason I lived. .
“My son didn’t deserve to die, Mason didn’t deserve to die, and our family doesn’t deserve to go through this but two families have been destroyed because of your actions that night and there is no justification for it. that”
A statement from Mason’s mother, Nikki Knight, which was read out at the hearing, said: “Mason was my youngest son. Mason was also my friend.
“I trusted him and always knew he wouldn’t tell other people the things I told him. I always look at the door, check the locks and do everything I can to feel safe again. I do. Expect Mason to walk through the door, and come to my house.
“Mason used to say he was the man of the house, he wanted to protect me, but now I feel like I failed to protect him. I always thought we’d be together forever.”
As she sentenced the four youths, Ms Justice May said: “It is impossible to know what motivated the boys to attack Mason and Max.
“Nothing can put an end to the events of that terrible night. No sentence can ease the sense of loss and grief for their families.”
During the trial, the jury was told that Noel West and Hartcliffe had a long-standing rivalry, and that there had been previous incidents involving people from “both postcodes”.
The court was previously told that Max and Mason were out to buy a pizza when they were attacked by police with “some very frightening weapons”.
The two weapons, shown to the jury in court, were 48cm (19in) and 51cm (20in) in length.
CCTV cameras caught Snook’s Audi Q2 pulling into Elminster Avenue.Here four young men jumped again.Wielding large sheets and a baseball bat.
The attacks lasted just 33 seconds, while Snoke waited in his parked car with the lights off.
The juvenile defendant then returned to Snook’s car, which made a U-turn in the street and sped away, leaving the injured boys in the street.
They died in hospital within 15 minutes of each other early the next morning, while their killers went to McDonald’s to eat, the trial heard.
Speaking outside Bristol Crown Court after the hearing, Mason Rist’s uncle David Knight said any sentence would “never be enough” after his murder.
He told reporters: “No family should have to go through what both of our families have gone through.”
‘Just an ordinary boy’
Mr Knight described Mason as “just a normal 15-year-old boy” who liked to hang out with friends and play computer games.
“It’s very hard to accept that Mason and Max were taken from us just because they went to the shops to get some food and drink,” he added.
Speaking outside court after the hearing, Avon and Somerset Police Det Sgt Gary Haskins described the four teenage defendants in the attack on Max and Mason as “monstrous”.
“This is a desperate case with no winners,” he said.
All four juvenile defendants were sentenced to two life terms, one for each victim, and given minimum terms before applying for parole, as follows:
- Riley Tolliver: 23 years, 47 days minimum term
- Kodishai Wescott: 23 years, 44 days minimum tenure
- 16-year-old boy: 18 years, 44 days minimum period
- 15-year-old boy: 15 years, 226 days minimum period