A boy and girl have been found guilty of the murder of transgender teenager Brianna Ghey in a park near Warrington.
Brianna, 16, was stabbed with a hunting knife 28 times in her head, neck, chest and back after being lured by the pair to Linear Park, Culcheth, in Cheshire, on the afternoon of February 11.
Her killers, identified only as girl X and boy Y, both now aged 16 but 15 at the time of the killing, had denied murder and each blamed the other for the fatal stabbing, 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 planned the killing for weeks, detailed in a handwritten murder plan and phone messages found by detectives.
A jury of seven men and five women convicted the two on Wednesday following a four-week trial at Manchester Crown Court.
Trial Judge Mrs Justice Yip ruled on Thursday that the pair could be named by media when they are sentenced in February.Girl X fantasised about killing Brianna, in a message to Boy Y, saying: "I want to stab her at least once even if she's dead jus coz its fun lol."
She enjoyed watching "snuff" and killing videos on the dark web, the trial was told.
Girl X also compiled notes on serial killers, including Richard Ramirez, known as the Night Stalker, and the notorious cannibal, Jeffrey Dahmer.
Boy Y has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and is non-verbal and girl X has traits of autism and ADHD.
The pair drew up a "kill list" of four other children before settling on Brianna as the target.
Brianna was lured to the park before she was attacked with a hunting knife. On board CCTV captured her chilling final journey as she entered a bus on the way to meet Girl X.
The jury heard while on the bus Brianna, who suffered from anxiety and did not go out on her own, sent her mother, Esther Ghey, a text which said: "I'm on the bus by myself, I'm scared".
The killers were spotted fleeing the scene before being arrested by cops barely 24 hours after the brutal attack.After arresting the teenagers, police found the handwritten note detailing their plan to kill Brianna in girl X's bedroom and hundreds of messages between the pair, outlining the plans to kill Brianna and others.
Deputy chief crown prosecutor Ursula Doyle, of CPS Mersey-Cheshire, 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. Brianna Ghey was subjected to a frenzied and ferocious attack and was stabbed 28 times in broad daylight, in a public park.
"Girl X and Boy Y appear to have been a deadly influence on each other and turned their dark fantasies about murder into a reality. The extensive messages between the two, planning and plotting to kill people, talking of murder, torture and cruelty, were difficult to read."
Brianna's heartbroken mother said she will never get over the death of her "fearless" daughter, which has left a hole in her heart.
"She was fearless to be whoever she wanted to be," Esther Ghey told the BBC.
"She wanted to identify as a female, and she wanted to wear girls' school uniform. She just did it - it wasn't a hurdle at all for her."
"The only way I can describe it is, there's a hole in my heart," she said of her loss. "I know for a fact I will never get over this."
Speaking following the guilty verdicts, she thanked the couple who discovered her daughter and the first officer on the scene for doing all they could "to help my precious child".
She said: "I'm so grateful that in the last moments of her life she had the concern and kindness from you all, and I undoubtedly know that you did all you could do to help my precious child."
She also thanked the jury for "making the right decision" and for ensuring "society is now a safer place".
The mother added: "Lastly, please have some empathy and compassion for the families of the young people convicted of this horrific crime.
"They too have lost a child and they must live the rest of their lives knowing what their child has done."
She finished her statement by saying her family request "healing space" for the next few weeks, but promised to be back at the end of January to continue campaigning for better mental health support for young people and their families.
Brianna's father said it "breaks" him daily to know he will never see his daughter again.
Peter Spooner said: "We spoke a few days before she was taken from me and we were arranging to meet each other.
"It breaks me every day to know I'll never get that chance again.
"I wish I'd been there to protect her. That's something I must live with.
"The suffering from this horrific incident should never happen and I hope no other family ever experiences the torture this can bring."
The frenzied fatal stabbing of the transgender teenager led to worldwide protests and vigils against perceived transphobia.
It will ultimately be up to the trial judge Mrs Justice Yip at sentencing to decide if hatred of transgender people played any part in her death.
The four-week trial at Manchester Crown Court heard boy Y used "dehumanising" language, talking about Brianna, referring to her as an "it" and referring to her as a "tranny" or "femboy."
But Detective Chief Superintendent Mike Evans, head of crime at Cheshire Police, said he doesn't believe transgender hatred played a part in the death.
He said he believed girl X and boy Y had a "thirst for killing" and it was Brianna's vulnerability and accessibility that made her a target.
Mr Evans said: "I think if it hadn't been Brianna it would have been one of the four other children on that list."
Ms Doyle said the messages between the killers "provided a terrifying insight into the minds of the two defendants - but also revealed the detailed planning of their attack and subsequent attempts to cover it up. The case posed a unique set of challenges for prosecutors, not least of the defendants' young age and their additional vulnerabilities.
"To ensure a fair trial and deliver a sound conviction, the CPS worked with all parties - including the police, courts and defence team - to make sure facilities such as video links, a transcribing service and communications specialists were in place.
"I want to thank Brianna's family for the courage and dignity that they have shown throughout this case. I hope today's verdict brings some solace, and our thoughts remain with them at this difficult time."
Mr Evans branded the killers "arrogant" believing they would not be caught as girl X claimed the local police were "sh**e".
"There's more than an element of, 'you won't get caught' you see in the text messages," he said.
"I think that they are both really intelligent kids and you look at the backgrounds, they're quite high functioning.
"I think that's brought a level of arrogance, or certainly confidence.
"I don't ever think they imagined we'd recover those text messages."
Using their first names, judge Mrs Justice Yip told Girl X and Boy Y after they were found guilty: "I'm sure you probably already know that I have to impose a life sentence.
"What I will have to decide is the minimum amount of time you will be required to serve before you can be considered for release.
"I am going to see what other steps need to be taken before I sentence."
