Four teenagers have been jailed for life for murdering two boys in a case of mistaken identity in Bristol.
Mason Rist, 15, and Max Dixon, 16, were attacked with machetes in the Knowle West area of the city on the evening of 27 January.
Their attackers – Riley Tolliver, 18, Kodi-Shai Wescott, 17, and two boys aged 15 and 16 who cannot be named due to their age – were sentenced at Bristol crown court on Thursday.
A getaway driver, 45-year-old Antony Snook, was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 38 years last month.
During the sentencing hearing, Mason’s sister Chloe held up packets containing his ashes and hair, as well as a print taken of his hand after his death.
She told the expressionless defendants: “This is Mason’s ashes and this is what you’ve done. If anyone is upset about me bringing them to court today, that is all I have left of him.
“I shouldn’t have to look at my brother’s bone fragments either. I also have a piece of his hair which has his blood on it, if you want to see it?
“This is my dead brother’s handprint. Another thing you’ve done. I should be able to hold my brother’s hand, not look at it on a piece of paper. This is all I have left of him. I hope your sorries are genuine but unfortunately I can’t be sure. I hope you don’t forget Mason because he didn’t deserve any of this.”
Chloe told the court her brother had been diagnosed as autistic at the age of three, which meant the family were protective of him as he was “vulnerable and harmless”.
The court previously heard how Snook and the armed teenagers set out for revenge after masked youths had thrown bricks at a property in the Hartcliffe area, injuring a woman.
Max and Mason, who had been best friends since attending nursery together, were heading out for a pizza when they were spotted by those in Snook’s car and wrongly identified as being connected to that attack.
Tolliver, who had a baseball bat, and the other three teenagers, armed with machetes, jumped out of the car and chased after the two boys, fatally wounding them in an attack that lasted 33 seconds.
Mason and Max received stab injuries and died in hospital in the early hours of 28 January. One of the attackers picked up a McDonald’s meal and drinks six hours after the incident.
Wescott was detained for life with a minimum term of 23 years and 44 days, while Tolliver received a minimum term of 23 years and 47 days. The 15 and 16-year-old boys were jailed for life with minimum terms of 15 and 18 years respectively.
Sentencing them, Mrs Justice May said: “The boys you killed were Mason Rist and Max Dixon. They were your age. They had done nothing wrong. They didn’t attack the house, they had nothing to do with it.
“You have heard how much pain you have caused to their families. Max and Mason’s families must go on without them in a different way. Your lives will change too. As Mason’s sister said, there are no winners here.”
On Tuesday, Jamie Ogbourne, 27, of Hartcliffe, and Bailey Westcott, 23, of Whitchurch, were each jailed for five years and three months for helping the offenders.
