A girl turned her “dark fantasies” of torture and murder into reality by stabbing transgender teenager Brianna Ghey in a “frantic” manner, a court has heard.
The 16-year-old, identified only as girl X, was attracted to Brianna and dreamed of killing her but had no intention of carrying it out, a jury at Manchester Crown Court heard.
He denied having to wipe Brianna’s blood from his face after the murder.
Brianna, 16, was stabbed 28 times in the head, neck, chest and back with a hunting knife at Linear Park in Culcheth, near Warrington, on the afternoon of February 11 earlier this year.
Prosecutors allege the anxious transgender teenager was deliberately brought there for a murder planned by Girl X and her co-defendants.
Both girl X and boy Y, who were 15 at the time, deny the murder and blame each other for Brianna’s death. Neither of them can be named due to their age.
Jurors heard that girl
In the witness box on the second day, Richard Littler KC, defending boy Y, asked girl X: “Why do you have this fantasy of killing your good friend?”
He replied: “I’m not sure. I don’t know where it came from.”
Mr Littler continued: “I would argue that this is no longer a fantasy, it is something you can do. Can you stab Brianna?”
“No,” he replied.
Girl
Mr Littler suggested this was to keep Brianna in the park, adding: “Maybe you were trying to get ready to stab her, trying to get the courage to do it?”
“No,” replied girl X.
Boy Y told the police that he went behind a tree to go to the toilet and when he returned he saw Girl X stabbing Brianna.
Girl
Mr Littler said: “You’re basically saying the same thing as him now.”
Girl X denied trying to control or manipulate boy Y.
Jurors heard a notebook was found in girl heard.
Mr. Littler continued: “I would suggest that you pretend to be friends with Brianna. But you weren’t actually his friend.
“I’m going to suggest you pretend to be friends with boy Y, but you weren’t a good friend at all?”
“No,” replied girl X.
“Am I going to suggest you stab Brianna?” Mr. Littler said.
“No,” replied girl X.
“Do you remember, you were wiping the blood from your face while walking away from the scene with child Y? Is Brianna’s blood or saliva used?” Mr. Littler asked.
“No,” girl X replied again.
Jurors had previously been shown a crumpled, handwritten note found on the floor of Girl X’s bedroom after Brianna’s arrest, depicting an alleged “murder plot” to kill Brianna.
Also written in a black notebook were notes about serial killers such as Jeffrey Dahmer, Richard Ramirez and Harold Shipman.
Cross-examined by plaintiff Deanna Heer KC, girl X was asked what she liked about the idea of killing.
He said: “I’m not exactly sure, I just thought it was pretty interesting overall.”
Ms Heer said: “Do you like the idea of having power over someone?”
Girl X said: “Yes.”
Ms Heer said: “Do you like the idea of being able to inflict pain and suffering on them?”
Girl X replied: “Yes.”
He said he found Brianna “really interesting” and “pretty attractive” and admitted that he liked the idea of killing her.
When asked why, he said: “Even though there is no intention, I get random thoughts. I don’t know where it came from or why I took it.”
She added: “It normally happens with people I don’t like but not always, sometimes it can happen with people I really like and I still fantasize about it.”
Ms. Heer asked: “Did you find the idea of killing Brianna, whom you had a crush on, exciting?”
Girl X said: “I guess so, yeah.”
Miss Heer asked: “Did you think she was more beautiful than you?”
Girl X said: “In a way, yes, I did.”
Ms. Heer asked if the boy, Y, would also like the idea of killing Brianna because he doesn’t like transgender people.
Girl X replied: “Probably yes.”
She was asked about text messages in which she and boy Y discussed killing Brianna by making her drink cleaning products.
Miss Heer asked: “Did you think this would be a terrible death?”
Girl X said: “Probably yes.”
Ms. Heer said: “Do you like this idea?”
Girl X said: “I think I did, yeah.”
Ms. Heer continued: “You found serial killers interesting. Would you look up facts about serial killers because you’re trying to figure out how they kill people?
Girl X replied: “That’s part of the interest.”
Ms Heer said: “What did you think about the idea of distracting someone and then stabbing them in the neck? Is that what you and boy Y would end up doing to Brianna? Did you distract her and boy Y stabbed her in the neck?”
“No,” replied girl X.
Ms Heer said: “The truth is that by this time the conversations were no longer fantasy, they were actually talking about how to plan a murder in real life?”
“No,” said girl X.
Ms Heer compared the similarities to Brianna’s stabbing and the “fantasy” plans to kill her and other children discussed in phone messages between X and Y; luring the victim to a “secret spot”, distraction, method of stabbing and injuries inflicted.
Ms Heer continued: “Everything you need to think about if you’re planning an actual murder?”
“Yes,” replied girl X.
Ms Heer said: “As you were watching, did you want boy Y to kill Brianna? Did you want him to take Brianna down? Did you want him to kill her?”
Girl X replied: “No.”
He himself denied taking a knife to meet Brianna.
Ms Heer said: “Was that because you wanted to watch boy Y stab Brianna so you could see the pure terror on his face?”
“No,” replied girl X.
The jury heard that girl
Ms. Heer said: “Did you consider child Y as your assassin?”
“No,” replied girl X.
He admitted that he got Brianna to come to the park by saying they were going to take drugs and get high.
Ms Heer continued: “Do you think Brianna would still be alive today if you hadn’t lied?”
“Yes,” replied girl X.
The trial continues.