THE SISTER of a boy chased and killed with a friend today confronted his teenage killers with his ashes while they were in prison.
Max Dixon, 16, and Mason Rist, 15, were out to buy pizza when they unwittingly became involved in a “postcode rivalry” in the Bristol suburb of Knowle.
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The victims were chased away and stabbed to death while going to buy pizzaCredit: SWNS
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Max Dixon was stabbed in the stomach while trying to escape Credit: SWNS
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He and fellow Mason Rist were chased by the Merit: SWNS gang
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Mason’s sister Chloe faced his killers in courtCredit: SWNS
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Riley Tolliver was among four teenagers jailed today for murderCredit: SWNS
Their killers mistakenly identified them as the perpetrators of a previous attack – prompting them to “equip” themselves with an arsenal of “terrifying weapons”.
Horrifying CCTV footage then showed the gang hunting Max and Mason as they innocently walked down the street together.
Riley Tolliver (18), Kodishai Wescott (17) and two teenagers aged 15 and 16 were jailed today after being found guilty of murder.
Tolliver and Wescott were jailed for life, while the 15-year-old received 15 years and 229 days and the 16-year-old received 18 years and 44 days.
Antony Snook, 45, who led a bloodthirsty hunt for the attackers in his flashy Audi through the dark streets of Bristol, was previously jailed for life with a minimum of 38 years for murder.
Mason’s sister Chloe brought his ashes, hair and a handprint to show his killers in a powerful victim impact statement.
She said, “These are Mason’s ashes and this is what you did. If anyone is upset that I brought them to court today, that’s all I have left of them.
“I shouldn’t be looking at my brother’s bone fragments either. I also have a piece of his hair with his blood on it, if you want to see that?
“This is my dead brother’s handprint. Another thing you did. I should be able to hold my brother’s hand and not look at it on a piece of paper. This is all I have left of him.
“I hope you are sincerely sorry, but unfortunately I can’t be sure.
“I hope you don’t forget Mason because he didn’t deserve any of this.”
While Max’s sister told the teenagers how they “killed me that day” and now faces “a lifetime of torture”.
Kayleigh added: “You ripped out my heart and soul. It’s broken beyond repair.
“I can’t sleep, I can’t eat, I can’t function, all I see in my mind is the body of my lifeless brother, I can feel how cold his hands were and how stiff his body was. His soul is disappearing from his brown eyes.”
Bristol Crown Court heard how the horror unfolded on January 27 amid a postcode “rivalry” between the Knowle West and Hartcliffe areas of Bristol.
About an hour before Max and Mason died, the house in Hartcliffe was attacked by masked youths, throwing bricks through the window and injuring the woman.
At 11 p.m., Snook, Tolliver and the three accused teenagers left the area armed with a cache of weapons.
Snook then drove them from Hartcliffe to Knowle West “in search” of the people they believed were responsible for the attack.
Ray Tully KC, prosecuting, said: “As they drove past Max and Mason who were walking down the street, they thought they spotted the people responsible for the earlier attack – or at the very least people associated with it.
“They were completely wrong about that. Max and Mason had absolutely nothing to do with any of the earlier incidents or anything to do with these events.”
The group jumped out of the Audi and chased the innocent teenagers who had jumped out to buy a pizza.
Both friends tried to run back towards Mason’s house nearby, but were separated during the chase.
The footage shows the gang speeding off in Snook’s Audi after the 33-second carnage as Max and Mason are left dying in the street.
Tolliver and a 15-year-old boy attacked Mason, while a 16-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy hunted Max.
Mason was stabbed once in the back and chest – causing “non-survivable injuries” – while his best friend was stabbed once in the abdomen.
They tragically died within 15 minutes of each other after being rushed to the hospital.
Mason and Max’s devastated family pay their respects
Max’s mum Leanne Ekland said: “The night of January 27 became the worst night of my life. Max was my only son; he was the youngest of four. My son’s death has affected my life in a way that will never be same.
“That night I heard a car pull up in front of my house and I heard my name and the words ‘Max has been stabbed’, at first I thought it was the wind because at the time I thought my son was in bed, then I realized it wasn’t joke, I screamed and begged the boys to take me to my son.
“When I got there, I just remember screaming to see my son and people around me, stopping me, I remember finally sitting on the ground with Max’s head between my legs, telling him I was there and to open his eyes, I remember that he looked at me and closed his eyes, he said he just wanted to sleep. It was so frantic as the paramedics worked on him, cutting his clothes, he was so pale. I remember the policeman took me to Southmead Hospital alone, no one with me,” she added.
“When I arrived, my daughter Kayleigh and Max’s dad were waiting for me. They took us to a room. Not long after someone came in to tell us we were sorry, I didn’t even let him finish.
“Max was a 16-year-old boy who was exploring and figuring out what he wanted to do in life. Max was a great character with a happy and joyful outlook on life, he was funny, kind and caring. He was a big part of being very popular with his to friends; he was my boy.”
In a statement read out by the prosecution, Nikki Knight, Mason’s mum, said she felt “scared” and would “never feel safe again” in her own home with a murder scene outside.
She added: “As a mother I feel I failed to protect my son. That’s a thought that will stay with me.”
Nikki also said she can’t go into his bedroom anymore because “it’s hitting me all over again that he’s gone.”
Speaking after the verdicts, Detective Constable Gary Haskins, senior investigating officer at Avon and Somerset Police, said Max and Mason were out for pizza when they were killed in a case of mistaken identity.
He added: “They are wonderful lads, going about their business, in their community when they were senselessly attacked by individuals for no reason.
“What we do know is that they passed Max when he was walking towards Mason’s house. Then Mason comes out of his house and joins Max.
“A vehicle passes by, they think ‘it’s them, they’ll help’. They looked around Knowle to see if they could find people.
“We know they drove around Knowle two and a half times before they came across these two boys.”
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The gang armed themselves with an arsenal of weaponsCredit: POLICE HANDOUT/UNPIXS
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They stabbed two boys who were just going to get pizzaCredit: POLICE SALE/UNPIXS
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The attack came after gang rivals threw bricks at the homeCredit: SWNS
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Getaway driver Anthony Snook was previously sentenced to life in prison Credit: SWNS
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