Four boys and man, 45, found guilty of mistaken murders of innocent Bristol teenagers Mason Rist and Max Dixon
by Kit Heren · LBCBy Kit Heren
Four teenagers and a man have been found guilty of the murder of teenagers Mason Rist and Max Dixon in Bristol.
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Anthony Snook, 45, and Riley Tolliver 18, were found guilty of the murders of both Mason and Max, along with a 17-year-old boy, a 16-year-old boy.
A 15-year-old was found guilty of the murder of Max, and had already pleaded guilty to the murder of Mason.
The murders took place in the Knowle neighbourhood of Bristol in January this year.
Mason Rist and Max Dixon murderers
Tolliver, and the three boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had been driven to and from Knowle West by Antony Snook, 45, as part of a revenge mission.
The two boys had been wrongly identified as being responsible for bricks being thrown at a house in the rival Hartcliffe district earlier that evening.
Max and Mason were going for a pizza when the group of teen killers attacked them. The onslaught lasted just 33 seconds.
Speaking after the verdicts, Detective Superintendent Gary Haskins, senior investigating officer at Avon and Somerset Police, said after the verdict that Max and Mason were "beautiful boys, going about their business, in their own community when they were senselessly attacked by the individuals for no reason."
He added: "What we know is that they passed Max when he was walking towards Mason's house. Then Mason walks out of his house and joins Max.
"The vehicle is passing, they think 'that's them, they will do'. They were hunting around Knowle to find people.
"We know they had driven around Knowle two-and-a-half times before they came across these two boys."
Around an hour after the bricking attack, Snook left the property with two of the boys and picked up the other two in a nearby street before heading to Knowle West.
The Audi Q2 was driven around Knowle West for at least 12 minutes before the attack, the jury was told.
Snook drove down Ilminster Avenue and when they saw Mason and Max in the street they wrongly believed they had spotted those responsible for the attack.
Ray Tully KC, prosecuting, told the jury: "They were entirely wrong about that. Max and Mason had absolutely nothing to do with any earlier incident and no connection whatsoever with those events."
Tolliver, who had a baseball bat, and the three teenagers armed with machetes jumped out of the car and chased after the two boys.
Mason Rist and Max Dixon murderers
Max and Mason are seen going to different sides of the street, each pursued by two people from the vehicle.
Tolliver and the 15-year-old boy attacked Mason, while the 16-year-old boy and 17-year-old boy chased Max.
The 17-year-old boy also struck Mason, who was lying injured on the ground, as he headed back to the Audi after attacking Max.
A CCTV camera on Mason's nearby house captured how the attack lasted just 33 seconds from the car pulling up to the teenagers getting back in and leaving.
Mason and Max sustained fatal stab injuries, and both died in hospital in the early hours of January 28.
Snook drove the teenagers from the scene and dropped them off in Knowle West.
A fire was lit in a back garden and items linked to the attack disposed of.
Meanwhile, the 16-year-old boy picked up a McDonald's meal and drinks just six hours after the attack.
Giving evidence, Snook claimed he thought he was driving the teenagers in his Audi Q2 disability car to a "safe house" after the attack on the Hartcliffe property.
When he was told to stop in Ilminster Avenue he believed they were outside the safe house, Snook alleged.
The landscape gardener, who lost a leg in a road accident, insisted he did not know the boys were carrying weapons and was looking in his rear view mirror at the time Max and Mason were attacked.
"I thought they had got into a fight or something. I didn't want to be involved with it. I didn't think it was something that cost two people their lives," he said.
"I just thought it was something stupid between Hartcliffe and Knowle that I had been dragged into. I didn't realise anyone had been seriously hurt."
The four teenagers did not give evidence during the trial.
But the jury was told the 16-year-old had been covertly recorded in custody saying he had heard Mason screaming during the attack and "had to sort of join in".
He also said he had put on "loads more tracksuits" and left his phone behind before heading to Knowle West.
In closing speeches to the jury, barristers representing the teenagers said there was no joint plan to attack the two boys.
Anna Vigars KC, representing the 16-year-old, suggested her client did not have any intention to kill or cause really serious harm to Max or Mason.
"He didn't spring into action - he gets left behind. He didn't know what the plan was, if there was a plan," Mrs Vigars said.
"It isn't just that his heart was not in it, but his intention was not either."
Christopher Quinlan KC, representing the 17-year-old, said his client had admitted the manslaughter of Max but denied inflicting any injury to Mason.
The jury were shown the CCTV footage of Mason, after being struck by the 15-year-old, getting to his feet, with prosecutors then alleging the 17-year-old inflicted a second blow to him.
But Mr Quinlan suggested an alternative, telling jurors: "He had managed to get to his feet but because of the injury he sustained he wasn't able to stand, as the 17-year-old passes him.
"We say when you divorce Mason's movements from the 17-year-old then the evidence is not there that he did stab him or make contact with him."
Ignatius Hughes KC, representing Riley Tolliver, said his client had not struck Mason with a "sword, machete or zombie knife".
"A baseball bat is a very different choice of weapon to go out with than a great big zombie knife," he said.
"He had an opportunity to cause really serious injury to Mason, but he didn't do it."
Kate Brunner KC, representing the 15-year-old, said he was not involved in the fatal attack on Max because it happened at the same time he was murdering Mason.
"He has told you the terrible thing that he did. He was 14 when he stabbed Mason," she added.
"He says that he did that, he's been honest with this court and with you by saying guilty."
Max and Mason's families paid tribute to them after the guilty verdicts for the murderers.
Max's family said he was "a big character with a happy and joyful look on life."
They added: "He was funny, kind and caring. He was a huge part of the family and was very popular among his friends. He was full of life and had such a cheeky side, but was always respectful.
“The past six weeks have been emotionally draining. Today’s outcome doesn’t change the fact that two families go home without their boys. But we can now hopefully begin to process and remember them both and the happy memories both families have of Max and Mason.
“Max and Mason have known each other since nursery school and have always been in the same classes. We often joked it was a funny friendship as they were both so different but they bounced off each other and brought out the best in each other.
“We will miss everything about him. We are broken without him but he would want us to carry on and he wouldn’t want anyone to be down.
“We need to thank everyone that’s been involved in our case. We have so much respect for the hard work, dedication and support to our families. There are no words to express how thankful we are to everyone. We will be forever grateful to them.”
Mason's family said they were incomplete after his murder.
They said in a statement: “Our family is like a jigsaw puzzle and, with the loss of Mason, it is like a part of our jigsaw is gone forever and will never be complete. Mason was a quiet boy who would never hurt a fly. He was just so lovely and innocent.
“It is impossible to put into words how we feel. This whole process has been incredibly hard and hearing what we have heard, what happened to him, it is horrible to think about Mason’s last moments.
“These dangerous individuals took away our son, brother, nephew, uncle and grandchild and we must now navigate the rest of our lives without our missing puzzle piece.
“From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank everyone worked so hard on this case. The investigation team for being so hard working and dedicated, we appreciate it wasn’t easy working endless hours and under pressure but it is because of you we got this result.
“The family wouldn’t have been able to get through this unbearable time without having the best family liaison officers assigned to us. They have gone above and beyond to ensure we are always updated, guided and supported throughout this awful process.”