Teenage Girl Found Guilty Of Murdering Mother And Daughter
The 15-year-old will face a life sentence in prison.
- by
marie claire
A 15-year-old girl has been found guilty of the murder of a mother and daughter in Spalding, Lincolnshire.
News.com.au reports that the girl and her 15-year-old boyfriend allegedly planned the murder in McDonalds, and stabbed 13-year-old Katie Edwards and her mother Elizabeth Edwards in their home four days later.
Prosecutor Peter Joyce QC alleged the victims were "both stabbed through the throat in their beds at their home.” The teenagers both took a bath after the murder to wash off the blood, had sex, and then watched four Twilight films. They had planned to commit suicide together, however decided not to.
The murder occurred in April, and the girl initially pleaded guilty to manslaughter, but not murder, as she did not carry out the actual stabbing. The boy admitted to murder at the start of the trial.
However, The Guardian reports that the jury heard that the girl was really the 'driving force' behind the murder. She confessed in police interviews the role she had in the murder, and it was clear that their 'toxic relationship' was a contributor.
Forensic psychiatrist Philip Joseph even compared their dynamic to that of Bonnie and Clyde, the infamous couple who robbed and killed people in the early 20th century.
“A group dynamic can lead you to a course of action you would never have contemplated on your own. Bonnie and Clyde … that sort of intense attraction, emotional closeness – them against the world. It’s that sort of thing that led on to this.
“If they hadn’t got together and had the intense, toxic relationship they [the killings] would never have happened.”
Joseph revealed that the girl did not show remorse when he interviewed her for two and a half hours after the murder.
DCI Martin Holvey announced outside the court that the girl had been found guilty of murder.
“Today the court has found a 15-year-old guilty of both murders. A teenage boy has also pleaded guilty.
“What makes this case even more shocking is that these two were 14 years of age when they planned and committed these callous, senseless and unprovoked attacks on Elizabeth and Katie.
“This case has left a number of lives in ruins, not only Elizabeth and Katie’s family, but also the two juveniles who committed these horrendous crimes.”
The girl will be sentenced next month, but she faces a life sentence in prison.
