CCTV footage reveals a home invasion that sparked a 'revenge' murder against two innocent boys who were wrongly believed to have committed it.
Mason Rist, 15, and Max Dixon, 16, were fatally attacked in Ilminster Avenue, in the Knowle West area of Bristol, on the evening of January 27 this year.
Friends were stabbed to death in the street after being wrongly identified as the perpetrators of an attack on a house in the Hartcliffe district earlier in the evening.
Prosecutor Ray Tully KC described how Anthony Snook, 45, and Riley Tolliver, 18, and three teenage boys, aged 15, 16 and 17, drove to the neighboring Bristol suburb of Knowle “getting ready” to seek revenge.
CCTV footage that has just been released shows men swinging machetes outside the property, throwing bricks at windows and injuring a woman inside the house.
CCTV footage shown to a jury today showed three men brandishing machetes outside a property in Bristol
Mason Rist, 15, was stabbed to death just steps from his family home
16-year-old Max Dixon also died in the attack, which lasted just 33 seconds
The jury was told there had been “incidents” in the past between the Hartcliffe BS13 and Knowle BS4 postcodes which were allegedly behind the conflict.
Prosecutor Tully KC said: “Three people showed up at the address and committed an attack by throwing bricks at the house.
“They broke several windows and my mother was injured by thrown bricks.”
He said the defendants then got into a car driven by Snook and drove to look for those responsible.
He added: “They were equipped and had quite terrifying weapons on them.
“When the five of them set out – they were on a hunt – looking for people they believed were responsible for the attack on the house.
“They went on a joint mission together – this joint mission was a mission of revenge.”
Mr Tully said they were driving down a street in Knowle when they passed Max and Mason leaving their house.
The mother was injured in the attack on January 27 in the Hartcliffe area of Bristol
The jury was told there had been “incidents” in the past between the Hartcliffe BS13 and Knowle BS4 postcodes which were alleged to be behind the conflict
Mason Rist, 15, and Max Dixon, 16, were fatally attacked after being wrongly identified as the perpetrators of the attack
CCTV footage captured by a camera at Mason's home shows people in an Audi Q2 car attacking Mason and Max before returning to the car and driving away.
The two-and-a-half-minute clip was played to the jury during the trial of Snook, Tolliver and three teenage boys, which began at Bristol Crown Court on Wednesday, October 2.
Tully said Snook was “waiting” for them and acted as their getaway driver.
He added: “They thought they had spotted people they believed were responsible for the house attack – or were at least connected to it in some way.
“They were completely wrong about that – Max and Mason had nothing to do with the attack on the property.”
Both Mason Rist and Max were stabbed in an attack that lasted just 33 seconds.
They both suffered stab wounds that the court said were “unsurvivable” and died in hospital a short time later.
Tully said Snook was “waiting” for them and acted as their getaway driver.
The jury heard that a 15-year-old boy confessed to Mason's murder but denied Max's murder.
Another boy, 17, pleaded guilty to the murder of 16-year-old Max Dixon, but denied both murder charges. The three remaining defendants deny all allegations.
Tully added: “The prosecution alleges they acted together – they were all jointly responsible for what happened.
“On the street, each of them played a different role – but we argue that they participated in the attacks together – and acted together in them.”
The process continues.
