How the boys’ mistaken identity murders broke hearts

Teenage best friends Mason Rist and Max Dixon died after the brutal attack that lasted 33 seconds – yards from Mason’s front door, he was stabbed to death in a case of mistaken identity.

Five people – four teenagers and a 45-year-old man – have been detained for their role in the murders.

Riley Tolliver, 18, and Kodishai Wescott, 17, who were identified for the first time Thursday after reports that restrictions were lifted at sentencing, were told they will each face a minimum of 23 years in custody.

A 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were Detained for life with minimum terms of 15 and 18 years respectively.

The murders have broken the hearts of many, especially Mason’s older sister Chloe Rist, who stunned those in the courtroom with her emotionally charged statement as she held up her brother’s ashes and a lock of his hair.

Warning: This article contains some disturbing details

A few days before we were due back in court for the sentencing hearing, Chloe told me she had a plan. But he didn’t tell anyone about the real details at all.

Chloe is in the courtroom, when she turns to face the killers, tossing a small plastic bag in the air, long streaks of mascara reaching her face, she sobs, “These are Mason’s ashes”.

Before anyone has time to calculate that she actually has human remains, she is now picking up another small clear bag. It contains a bunch of Mason’s hair and then she shows everyone his handprints, which were made after his death.

Max and Mason were murdered after being mistaken for bricks thrown at a house in Hartcliffe on the evening of 27 January.

The court had earlier heard that the four teenage defendants had seen two best friends carrying a fifth defendant, Anthony Snook, 45, around Knoll West in a search for “revenge”.

All five were convicted of two counts of murder last month after a six-week trial at Bristol Crown Court. Snook was later sentenced to life in prison. Ordered to serve a minimum of 38 years.

During the trial, the jury was told that there was a long-standing rivalry between Knoll West and Hartcliffe, and that there had been previous incidents involving people from “both postcodes”.

Chloe told me how she was worried that court security might mistake her ashes for drugs.

He was also worried that if anyone found out about his plan they might try to stop him.

It worked — it certainly caught the attention of the four teenage defendants, Riley Tolliver, Cody Wescott, 15, and 16, who sat behind glass with blank faces for most of the trial.

During Chloe’s narration, they appear engaged and confront her about the pain he has caused both families.

This was a case that largely revolved around CCTV footage. First of all, there are cameras at Mason’s house, which captured almost everything.

They captured the moment when Max arrived at Mason’s house and his smiling best friend walked in the door.

It’s a tough watch, watching the pair walk out through the gate onto their street – not a care in the world – but, looking back, you know they’re about to be subject to a terrifying attack.

The attack lasts a little more than half a minute.

I have been a journalist for more than two decades, and this is the most tragic footage I have ever seen, and what is seen cannot be ignored.

Max and Mason are being hunted like animals, running for their lives as the teenagers chase them with swords and knives.

Mason’s mother Nikki Knight couldn’t bring herself to watch it. When he was shown in court he had his fingers in his ears, his head bent in his lap.

Nikki told me it was Mason’s father, Shayne, who had insisted that their house be covered in CCTV.

He died of COVID-19 two years ago, but she wonders if Mason’s father somehow knew this would happen, and this was his way of making sure the family got justice, even Even in his absence.

At another house a few miles away in the city, there is more CCTV footage from earlier the same night.

Home security cameras at the home of 17-year-old ringleader Cody Wescott captured his home being attacked with bricks.

In retaliation, he gathers his older cousin, fellow defendant Tolliver, and two other teenagers, setting off a terrifying chain of events that results in a terrifying case of mistaken identity.

The same CCTV cameras were still recording when Wescott and the 16-year-old emerged from a car, swords in hand, and ran back into the house shortly after killing Max and Mason.

Wescott’s home also has cameras covering the back garden, which show his older brother Bailey Wescott lighting a fire and burning the boys’ clothes to try to destroy evidence.

In the hurry to burn the clothes and hide the knife, no one thought of switching off the cameras. Police received the footage a few days later, while the four detained boys are still refusing to speak.

Hours before sentencing, defense barristers told the court of the killers’ “sad and desolate” upbringing.

We heard that the 15-year-old was very happy since being sent to custody, now that he had enough food and hence his height was also increasing and his shoe size had also increased by two.

We heard how Tolliver, 18, had started reading and writing since being in custody.

He wrote a brief letter addressed to the judge and the families: “I want to say how sorry I am. I should never have got in the car and I will carry that with me for the rest of my life.”

The judge certainly felt that his remorse was genuine and he was the only one of the teenagers who remained in court and heard the judge’s sentencing comments.

The court heard the other three teenagers were equally sorry, but their behavior told different stories.

Wescott could be seen punching a 15-year-old boy who was sitting next to him and waving to the families of both victims as he left the court.

At the end of the sentencing hearing, the judge, the Honorable Mrs. Justice May, thanked the defense teams who had endured a difficult time representing the murderers.

However, it was surprising that Max and Mason’s families, who sat through the trial with such dignity and composure, were not mentioned.

Court days were kept short to make allowances for young defendants, often keeping less than a school day to ensure that juvenile murderers could cope.

Due to the age of the defendants, the victims’ families were not allowed into the court, but had to watch from the public gallery.

And so as not to overwhelm the young defendants, restrictions were placed on the number of victims’ family members, which meant Max’s mother was unable to sit next to her partner.

As the prison van carrying the boys left the court, they could be heard kicking and screaming in the van driver’s video feed. He was also seen making obscene gestures.

Yet, despite all this, Max and Mason’s family did not respond. They showed patience and, if something happened, kept hoping that these boys could change one day.

Chloe’s last words to him as they carried her brother’s remains to court were: “I hope your ‘grief’ is real, I hope you don’t forget Mason because he didn’t deserve this.”