Four teenagers and a 45-year-old man have been convicted of murdering two boys, aged 15 and 16, in a tragic case of mistaken identity. Max Dixon and Mason Rist were fatally attacked with machetes on 27 January after being wrongly identified as responsible for a brick attack on a house in Hartcliffe, Bristol, earlier that evening.
During a six-week trial at Bristol Crown Court, the jury found Riley Tolliver, 18, a 16-year-old boy, a 17-year-old boy, and getaway driver Antony Snook, 45, guilty of the murders. A 15-year-old boy, who had previously admitted to murdering Mason, was also convicted of Max’s murder.
The court heard how the group, armed with machetes, chased the boys in Knowle West, Bristol, as part of a revenge mission orchestrated by Tolliver. Snook drove the teenagers to and from the scene, where Max and Mason succumbed to their injuries from stab wounds.
As the guilty verdicts were announced, the defendants sat emotionless in the dock. Relatives of the victims wept openly in the public gallery, while other family members cheered in relief and support.
This harrowing case highlights the devastating consequences of violence and mistaken identity, leaving two families shattered by the loss of their young loved ones.
