Who Killed Brianna Ghey: The Satanist and Tesco John Wick?

A person who identifies as a Satanist and a young man whom she named after a notorious killer both had typical upbringings, but eventually developed a desire for violence and collectively committed the savage murder of their alleged acquaintance.

Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, both now aged 16, have finally been unmasked as the callous youths who stabbed 16-year-old Brianna Ghey to death after a judge ordered the lifting of anonymity orders protecting their identities due to their young ages.

On the afternoon of February 11th, in the village of Culcheth near Warrington, Cheshire, a transgender teenager was lured to Linear Park by a pair previously known as girl X and boy Y. They proceeded to stab the teenager 28 times with a hunting knife.

Jenkinson and Ratcliffe have been sentenced to life in prison at Manchester Crown Court for the premeditated and brutal murder, despite both of them denying responsibility and trying to shift the blame onto each other. The judge described the killing as “frenzied and ferocious” and ordered Jenkinson to serve a minimum of 22 years and Ratcliffe to serve a minimum of 20 years before being eligible for parole.

During a distressing four-week court case, it was revealed that the two individuals, whom Brianna considered to be her friends, had a disturbing interest in violence, torture, and murder. Their desire to kill escalated and became more intense over time.

The court was perplexed by how two child defendants, who were intelligent and had no prior run-ins with the police, could commit such a heinous crime.

Jenkinson, the daughter of a high school teacher, became friends with Brianna at Birchwood High School in November 2022. She found Brianna to be unique and intriguing.

After chatting about eyeliner, the two developed a friendship and spent time together in the school’s inclusion unit and through messaging on WhatsApp and Instagram.

Jenkinson was requested to depart from Culcheth High School, where her partner Ratcliffe attended. Sources suggest that she was involved in students consuming gummy candies laced with cannabis.

Detectives described Jenkinson as a seemingly typical teenager from a regular family, but she had been fixated on death and murder since the age of 14. She downloaded a special browser to access the ‘dark web’ and search for ‘red rooms’, which featured videos of real-life torture and killings.

Jenkinson informed Ratcliffe that she identified as a “satanist” and possessed confidential records on infamous murderers, including Richard Ramirez (known as the Night Stalker) and Jeffrey Dahmer (known for cannibalism). These records were stored in notebooks in her bedroom at her family’s residence, which she shared with her parents (both educators) and three older brothers.

Jenkinson and Ratcliffe created a list of five children they believed deserved to be killed due to small or unimportant grievances.

Their initial target was Brianna, who was particularly vulnerable. Despite having a large following on TikTok, she was actually a reclusive and timid teenager who battled depression and rarely ventured outside of her house.

Jenkinson’s first attempt at killing Brianna with an overdose of ibuprofen tablets was unsuccessful. However, the two continued to discuss Brianna’s murder for several weeks, documented in a written plan and phone conversations.

Jenkinson informed her partner that she desired to harm Brianna just for the sake of enjoyment, stating “lol… I want to witness the sheer terror on her face and hear her screams”. She proceeded to watch her “favorite movie”, Sweeney Todd, for the 9,000th time and deliberated on which knife her co-conspirator would use on the night of Brianna’s murder.

The pair’s secret desires were about to come true, as Jenkinson tricked Brianna into meeting at the park on a Saturday afternoon under the pretense of hanging out with friends.

She reminded Ratcliffe to bring his knife, whose phone number was saved in her phone as “Tesco John Wick”, a character from a movie about a ruthless assassin.

Ratcliffe came from a seemingly average family. He was raised as the middle child with an older brother and younger sister in Leigh, Greater Manchester. His father worked as a manager in the industry while his mother was an online fitness and wellbeing coach, also working as a ski instructor until she was reportedly asked to leave due to the attention surrounding the case.

In 2018, at the age of 11, Ratcliffe participated in a kickboxing competition in Jamaica. Additionally, his family also went on skiing trips and spent weekends boating in the Lake District.

He was a diligent student, dedicated to his academics. Despite being in custody, he managed to pass eight GCSEs this summer. Ratcliffe is currently self-teaching himself A-levels in biology, chemistry, pure maths, and English literature. His goal is to pursue a degree in micro-biology at university.

Jenkinson, who had been acquainted with Ratcliffe since they were 11 and attended the same school, referred to him as “reliable” and a “sociopath” in her notebook that was discovered by authorities. She described him as someone who lacks emotions or has very few, with a good sense of humor and exceptional intelligence. However, he is not very sociable and can be socially awkward, often experiencing anxiety.

Ratcliffe did not have many companions and only had three people following him on Instagram. Despite having feelings for one girl, he struggled with social skills and sought Jenkinson’s assistance in communicating with her. Shortly after Brianna’s death, he brought up the topic again and inquired about messaging the girl he liked as Valentine’s Day was coming up.

According to his lawyers, Ratcliffe’s role in the crime was influenced by his friend and co-defendant. Although Jenkinson was the main instigator of the murder plot, Ratcliffe was also actively involved. The two lived in a secluded world of morbid fantasies, with Ratcliffe indulging Jenkinson’s obsession with violence and death. Evidence showed that it was Ratcliffe who used the knife to repeatedly stab Brianna, as she tried to defend herself.

Following the murder of Brianna, the two teenagers returned to their homes and acted as if nothing had occurred. Jenkinson then shared a tribute on the internet, including a picture of her victim, expressing that Brianna was a wonderful person and a great friend, and expressing disgust at what had been done to her.

Jenkinson stated that she began to cry when she learned of Brianna’s death and rushed to her mother in tears. While in custody, she chuckled 17 times while providing a false statement to the police detectives.

Following his apprehension, Ratcliffe’s ability to speak gradually declined and he was only able to communicate with his mother. This raised concerns among some that he may be purposely trying to gain sympathy. He was granted permission to provide testimony by typing his responses on a computer, which were then displayed on a screen for the jury and read aloud by an intermediary. Each day in court, he would wear a shirt and tie and bring puzzle magazines, and he was also given a fidget toy.

According to psychiatrists, Ratcliffe has been found to have autism spectrum disorder and selective mutism, while Jenkinson exhibits severe symptoms of “conduct dissocial disorder” and has limited pro-social emotions. However, during their sentencing hearing, it was made clear that their medical conditions cannot justify their actions and they were aware that what they did was unacceptable.

Ratcliffe’s father appeared at his trial occasionally, while his mother was present every day, often jotting down notes. Their son did not look at either of them during the trial, and showed no emotion when he was taken to his cell after receiving a life sentence. Jenkinson’s mother wiped tears from her eyes, but Jenkinson remained stoic as she was sentenced to over twenty years in prison.

After the court’s decision, Jenkinson’s family expressed their remorse in a statement to the Warrington Guardian. They stated, “We are sincerely apologetic.” Additionally, they support the jury’s ruling, the judge’s punishment, and the disclosure of the perpetrators’ identities.

“To all those who know Brianna, her family, friends, and our entire community, we apologize deeply for the impact of this terrible event.”

Source: independent.co.uk