A boy and a girl have been found guilty by a jury of the "disturbing" murder of a teenager in a "frenzied and ferocious" knife attack in England earlier this year.
16-year-old Brianna Ghey was stabbed with a hunting knife as she tried to fight off her attacker after being lured to a park near Warrington, Cheshire, on the afternoon of 11 February.
The pair, identified only as girl X and boy Y, both now aged 16 but 15 at the time, had denied murder and each blamed the other for the killing of the transgender teenager, described as "horrific" by detectives.
Intelligent, "high functioning" and coming from normal backgrounds, the trial heard the pair had a fascination for violence, torture and murder and had a "thirst for killing".
Neither had been in trouble with police before.
They discussed the murder for weeks, detailed in a handwritten plan and in phone messages found by detectives.
A jury convicted the two following a four-week trial at Manchester Crown Court.
Judge Mrs Justice Yip told the two defendants: "I will have to impose a life sentence. What I have to decide is the minimum amount of time you will be required to serve before you might be considered for release.
"I’m not going to do that this week. I’m going to ask for some reports in relation to each of you."
The judge thanked jurors for their service on an "extremely difficult and, at times, distressing case".
After the conviction, deputy chief crown prosecutor Ursula Doyle said: "This has been one of the most distressing cases I have ever dealt with. The planning, the violence and the age of the killers is beyond belief."
Boy Y, diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and who is non-verbal, and girl X, who has traits of autism and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), were both in the dock as the verdicts were delivered.
Jurors were told it was "difficult to fathom" how the two children could carry out such a disturbing crime.
Each defendant blamed the other and it is not known which one or if both wielded the knife.
As she lay dying girl, X sent a message to her victim’s phone - "Girl, where are you?" - to set up her cover story of Brianna leaving them to go off with another youth.
Seconds later, girl X deleted a Snapchat conversation with the victim, showing "cool and calculated" presence of mind, the court was told.
Both teenagers went home and carried on as if nothing had happened, girl X later posting an online tribute with a photo of her Brianna.
An hour later both were under arrest.
They had been seen by witnesses with Brianna and caught on CCTV and doorbell footage.
Detectives found the murder weapon in boy Y’s bedroom, along with blood-stained clothing and trainers.
At girl X’s home they found a handwritten note detailing the murder plan and naming Brianna as the victim.
The killing of the transgender teenager in a public park prompted candlelit vigils in Ireland and worldwide protesting against perceived transphobia.
Detectives believe Brianna was murdered because she was vulnerable and accessible, with her death not a hate crime but done for "enjoyment" and a "thirst for killing".
The court heard that she had thousands of followers on TikTok, but in reality was a withdrawn, shy and anxious teenager who struggled with depression and rarely left her home.
