Brianna Ghey’s Murderers Given Life Sentence For ‘Brutal Murder’

16-year-old Brianna Ghey was killed by her ‘friends’ brutally last year. The teenage murderers are sentenced to life in prison by the court.

Harshita Das

Updated on: 3 February 2024 3:34 pm

Brianna Ghey Photo: Image: AP

Teenagers who killed Brianna Ghey have been given life sentences for their ‘brutal and sadistic’ act. Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe killed Brianna last year in February. The murderers were 15 years old when they stabbed the 16-year-old Brianna in a park in Cheshire.

Judge Yip described the attack as "brutal," detailing the 28 stab wounds inflicted on Brianna. While both teenagers remained impassive during sentencing, the court heard unsettling details about their motivations. Jenkinson reportedly acted out of a "deep desire to kill," while Ratcliffe's actions were driven, in part, by hostility towards Brianna's transgender identity. Reflecting the severity of the crime, Jenkinson received a 22-year sentence, while Ratcliffe was detained for 20 years.

In this courtroom sketch, Joshua Schulte, center, is seated at the defense table flanked by his attorneys during jury deliberations, March 4, 2020, in New York. - Image: AP

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The 18-day trial brought to light a disturbing reality. Messages revealed Jenkinson and Ratcliffe's shared fascination with violence, torture, and murder, even encouraging each other to contemplate actual killings. While initially blaming each other, Jenkinson later admitted to a psychiatrist that she had stabbed Brianna. Further incriminating evidence included a "murder plan" targeting Brianna found in Jenkinson's possession, alongside notes on notorious serial killers.

Jenkinson's defense lawyer suggested she downplayed her role after conviction, possibly influenced by her admiration for violent figures. The prosecution, however, countered this claim, asserting her admission of enjoying the act.

Brianna and Jenkinson were ‘friends’ from school and socialized outside school grounds. It has come to light that Jenkinson previously drugged another student and even attempted to poison Brianna before the fatal attack. Brianna and Ratcliffe, on the other hand, only met shortly before her death.

The teenagers meticulously planned the murder for weeks, targeting Brianna from a chilling "kill list" of five children. In broad daylight, they brutally attacked Brianna with a hunting knife, inflicting fatal wounds. In a display of unsettling composure, both went about their lives as if nothing had happened, with Jenkinson even posting an online tribute to the victim. Forensic evidence, including a knife with Ratcliffe's DNA and Brianna's blood, ultimately linked them to the crime.