A girl denied turning “dark fantasies” of torture and murder into reality with the “frenzied” stabbing of transgender teenager Brianna Ghey, a court has heard.
The 16-year-old, identified only as Girl
She denied having to wipe Brianna’s blood from her face after the murder.
Brianna, 16, was stabbed 28 times with a hunting knife in the head, neck, chest and back at Linear Park in Culcheth, near Warrington, on the afternoon of February 11 earlier this year.
Prosecutors allege the anxious, transgender teen was deliberately lured there for a murder planned by girl X and her co-defendant, identified only as boy Y.
Both girl X and boy Y, both 15 at the time – now both 16, deny the murder and blame each other for Brianna’s death. Neither can be mentioned because of their age.
Jurors heard that Girl
In the witness box for a second day, Richard Littler KC, defending boy Y, asked girl X: “Why would you have a fantasy about murdering your good friend?”
She replied: “I’m not sure. I don’t know where it comes from.”
Mr Littler continued: “I want to suggest that this was no longer a fantasy, this was something you could do. Could you stab Brianna?
“No,” she replied.
Girl
Mr Littler suggested this was to keep Brianna in the park, adding: “Maybe you were just trying to prepare yourself to stab her, trying to find the courage to do it?”
“No,” girl X replied.
Boy Y told police he went to relieve himself behind a tree and when he came back he saw girl X stabbing Brianna.
Girl
Mr Littler said: “You’re basically saying the same thing he’s saying.”
Girl X has denied trying to control or manipulate boy Y.
Jurors heard about a notebook found with girl
Mr. Littler continued, “I’m going to suggest to you that you pretended to be friends with Brianna. But you weren’t really her friend at all.
“I’m going to suggest that you pretended to be friends with boy Y, but you weren’t a good friend at all?”
“No,” girl X replied.
“I’m going to suggest you stabbed Brianna?” said Mr. Littler.
“No,” girl X replied.
“Do you remember when you walked away from the scene with boy Y, you wiped blood from your face. Brianna’s blood, with your saliva?’ asked Mr. Littler.
“No,” Girl X replied again.
Earlier, jurors were shown a crumpled, handwritten note of an alleged “murder plan” to kill Brianna, found on Girl X’s bedroom floor after her arrest.
Notes were also taken about serial killers, including Jeffrey Dahmer, Richard Ramirez and Harold Shipman, in a black notebook.
Under cross-examination by prosecutor Deanna Heer KC, Girl X was asked what she liked about the idea of murder.
She said: “I’m not exactly sure, I just found the whole thing quite interesting, I guess.”
Mrs. Heer said, “Did you like the idea of having power over someone?”
Girl
Mrs. Heer said, “Do you like the idea of being able to cause them pain and suffering?”
Girl
She said she found Brianna “very interesting” and “quite attractive” and agreed that she liked the idea of killing her.
Asked why, she said: “I just get random thoughts even though there was no intention. I don’t know where it comes from or why I get them.”
She added: “Normally it’s about people I don’t like, but not always. Sometimes it can also be about people I like and still fantasize about.”
Mrs. Heer asked, “Were you excited by the idea of killing Brianna, who you were attracted to?”
Girl
Mrs. Heer asked, “Did you think she was more beautiful than you?”
Girl
Ms. Heer asked if she thought Boy Y would also enjoy killing Brianna because he didn’t like transgender people.
Girl
She was asked about messages where she and boy Y discussed killing Brianna by giving her cleaning products to drink.
Mrs. Heer asked, “Did you think this would be a terrible death?”
Girl
Mrs. Heer said, “Did you like that idea?”
Girl
Mrs. Heer continued: ‘You found serial killers interesting. Would you look at facts about serial killers because you were trying to figure out how they killed people?
Girl
Mrs Heer said: “What did you think of that idea, distracting someone and then stabbing them in the neck? Is that what you and boy Y end up doing to Brianna? Did you distract her and boy Y stabbed her in the neck?
“No,” girl X replied.
Ms Heer said: “Is it true that by then the conversations were no longer fantasy, but actually talking about how to plan a murder in real life?”
“No,” Girl X said.
Ms. Heer compared the similarities to Brianna’s stabbing and the “fantasy plans” about killing her and other children discussed between X and Y in phone messages; luring a victim to a ‘hidden place’, the distraction, the method of stabbing and the injuries inflicted.
Ms. Heer continued, “All the things you have to think about when you’re planning a real murder?”
“Yes,” girl X replied.
Mrs. Heer said: “Did you want boy Y to kill Brianna while you watched? Did you want him to overpower Brianna? Did you want him to kill her?’
Girl
She denied bringing a knife herself to meet Brianna.
Ms Heer said: “Is that because you wanted boy Y to stab Brianna and you wanted to watch so you could see the pure horror on her face?”
“No,” girl X replied.
The jury heard that girl
Mrs. Heer said, “Did you see boy Y as your murderer?”
“No,” girl X replied.
She admitted that Brianna came to the park by lying that they would do drugs and get high.
Mrs. Heer continued, “Do you think that if you hadn’t lied, Brianna, she would still be alive today?”
“Yes,” girl X replied.
The process continues.