Caring, loving and trusting, Kieran Williams was lured to the secluded spot where he was knifed to death.
But who is responsible for savagely stabbing the teenager more than 20 times today remains a mystery one year after his body was found.
And now Kieran's tortured step-grandmother has pleaded with anyone who knows the identity of his killer or killers to turn them in.
Lorraine Williams, 51, said: "I don't think we will ever find out why. It's just the not knowing, you can't get your head round it if you don't know why. It's just so hard.
"He was such a lovely lad, he just wanted to be one of the lads and part of the gang. He just wanted to fit in.
"There is no motive, nothing. We just don't know why, At the end of the day there's somebody out there, person or persons unknown, who are still walking about knowing what they've done.
"For all I know I could bump into this person. They could be laughing in our faces, that's what it feels like."
Kieran, who lived with Lorraine and his grandad for several years, went missing from his Sunderland home on April 18 last year.
Police launched a search and the 18-year-old's family made appeals for information.
At first his his loved ones clung onto their hope that the Kieran would be found safe.
But as time went on Lorraine, who is married to Kieran's maternal grandfather, began to fear the worst.
"After the first couple of days of him being missing we started to really worry," said Lorraine. "Knowing what Kieran was like. He was very clean and he was forever brushing his teeth.
"The longer he was missing we started thinking that something serious had happened.
"But everyone was saying there had been sightings here and sightings there. But as time went on we all had the feeling that we were going to find him dead."
Kieran's body was found in a makeshift grave close to the River Wear in Sunderland a year ago.
"It was devastating," said Lorraine. "Considering how long he had been there, that's the worst thing."
Louis Hackett and Ben Cook, who were close friends of Kieran, were charged with his murder.
But a jury at Newcastle Crown Court cleared both of murder.
Hackett was convicted of manslaughter, but in a dramatic twist, the judge said the “real perpetrator or perpetrators” of the murder had not been caught and he said he was sure it was not Hackett or Cook who had killed Kieran.
The court heard how police found a grave that had been dug in a wooded area near a disused industrial estate by the Northern Spire bridge.
Kieran was found to have suffered at least 20 stab wounds, including three to the front of his chest, two to his right torso, seven to his neck and a number of other wounds to his limbs. The court heard an attempt had been made to set Kieran on fire in the grave but the fire damage was limited to his clothes not his body.
And Lorraine says she is haunted by hearing of the way her grandson died.
"I just had to fight back my tears. I couldn't believe it. It was like it was happening to someone else," she said. "He was stabbed over 20 times. Who's to say the first one was the fatal one? It's just how scared he would have felt. Obviously Kieran trusted whoever was there or he wouldn't have went with them."
As Hackett, 20, of Fordenbridge Square, Sunderland, was sentenced to five years in prison Mr Justice Jay told of his belief that Kieran's killer or killers were still at large.
He said: “This is the sort of case I will never forget as it’s such an unusual case. I don’t believe either of these young men were the stabber, it was someone else.”
Hackett persuaded Kieran to go out and meet him at the place where they would regularly meet to smoke cannabis. Mr Justice Jay said: “You knew something untoward was to happen to him, however you did not know he would suffer really serious harm, still less that he would be stabbed 23 times in a brutal attack.
“The jury clearly didn’t think Ben Cook was the stabber either. I would endorse that conclusion. The better view is someone else is the stabber and he has still not been apprehended.”
The judge said both Hackett and Cook had told the jury a “complete pack of lies” but told Hackett: “You lied out of what I believe was a need to protect yourself and out of fear.”
Lorraine said Kieran, who had struggled with learning difficulties at school had been doing a plumbing course at Sunderland city college before he was killed.
"He was doing well. He liked it because it was hands on, which was what he liked," she said.
"He was a caring lad, he was lovely, he always had a smile on his face, he was always cracking jokes. He was just a typical lad of that age. I couldn't say anything bad about him. He was a caring young lad.
"He had his whole future ahead of him.
And in a direct plea to anyone with information about Kieran's death, Lorraine added: "If anyone knows anything, no matter how trivial, they need to speak to the police.
"If they they are scared to approach the police then they can go to Crimestoppers. They have got to think what they would do if it was their son, brother, grandson or friend."
Det Chief Insp Matt Steel, who led the investigation into Kieran's death for Northumbria Police says detectives are still combing through evidence in a bid to get closure for Kieran's loved ones.
“It has been one year since the body of Kieran Williams was tragically found – and justice has not yet been done for his family.
“This was a truly horrendous murder where a young man was brutally stabbed at least 23 times and left to die in a hidden grave for six weeks before he was located.
“As ever, our thoughts remain with Kieran’s loved ones as they continue to come to terms with their loss, and we remain committed to getting answers for them.
“I would like to thank them for their dignified approach whilst this complex investigation has been ongoing – and after an outcome at court that did not provide the closure they deserve.
“While Hackett was found guilty of manslaughter at a recent trial, our investigation remains very much open as we actively pursue a number of lines of enquiry.
“A dedicated team of detectives continue to comb through the evidence in this case and follow every avenue to identify any other offenders involved in Kieran’s murder.
“And today, on the anniversary of Kieran’s body being found in such horrific circumstances, I am urging anyone who knows something about Kieran’s death to do the right thing and get in touch with police.
“It was well reported at trial that, in addition to Hackett’s, there were also other unidentified fingerprints found in the grave. And while enquiries are ongoing, we need support from the community to help identify anyone found to be involved and bring Kieran’s killers to justice.
"Simply put, Kieran’s murder continues to haunt his family day and night – so if not for our sake, please do the right thing for them to end their prolonged suffering."
Northumbria Police is asking anyone with information to get in touch through its Major Incident Public Portal online at Public Portal (mipp.police.uk).
Alternatively the team can be contacted via a dedicated phone number on 0191 437 4750.
Detectives also want to hear from anyone who believes they have been at the site of the grave, formerly owned by Coles Cranes, between the Easter and Jubilee weekends of April 15 and June 2 last year, for a legitimate reason, so they can be eliminated from the investigation.
Information can also be reported anonymously by calling independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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