Who are Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe? Reason Brianna Ghey’s killers could be named

The twisted duo responsible for the premeditated murder of 16-year-old transgender teen Brianna Ghey was finally named on February 2, 2024, almost a year after the teen's death.

Disclaimer: The following article talks about a brutal murder which can be triggering for some. Readers' discretion is advised.

Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, identified as Girl X and Boy Y during their four-week trial at Manchester Crown Court, lured Brianna Ghey to Linear Park, Warrington, on February 11, 2023, where they stabbed her 28 times in what was described as a "frenzied and ferocious" attack.

The killers' identities were protected as they were both minors, but the judge, Mrs. Justice Yip, who presided over their trial in December 2023, decided to release their names following their sentencing due to the "strong public interest" surrounding the case. The pair were both 15 at the time of committing the murder.

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Brianna Ghey's killers had a morbid fascination with torture and murder

Scarlett Jenkinson admitted to having a morbid fascination for serial killers during her trial and said that she had watched Sweeney Todd, her favorite movie, before planning out how to murder Brianna Ghey with Eddie Ratcliffe.

According to Sky News, Jenkinson and Ratcliffe have been friends since they were 11 years old and went to Culcheth High School together. Hailing from Culcheth, Jenkinson was the daughter of a building trader and a teacher. She was transferred to Birchwood Community High School after she was caught with cannabis edibles, where she met Brianna Ghey and became fast friends with her.

Birchwood Community's headteacher, Emma Mills, described Jenkinson as "quiet, shy, and polite" and said "there were no red flags" when she joined the school and befriended Ghey. However, during the trial, Jenkinson confessed that she was a self-professed Satanist and had "dark fantasies about killing people."

According to The Independent, Eddie Ratcliffe's family lived in Leigh, where his mother was a skiing instructor and his father was a businessman. He was trained in combat sports and competed in the World Kickboxing Championships in Jamaica in 2018. He had passed eight GCSEs and hoped to study microbiology.

Like Jenkinson, Ratcliffe also had a fascination for all things morbid, including an interest in knives. He admitted he "admired the craftsmanship" of the weapon he used to kill Brianna. As per Sky News, he was diagnosed with autism and selective mutism and spoke only to his mother following his arrest.

The trial also heard that Jenkinson and Ratcliffe had created a "kill list" with the names of four other youths before Brianna Ghey, unfortunately, fell under their radar.

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Brianna Ghey's murderers' names revealed due to the case being "exceptional"

According to BBC News, children appearing in youth or crown courts in England and Wales are generally left unidentified due to their age, be they victims, witnesses, or defendants. This rule was followed in Brianna Ghey's fatal stabbing due to the killers being minors at the time of the attack.

After their convictions, the teens' legal teams tried to protect their identities, citing welfare concerns and death threats received by their families. However, during their trial, Mrs. Justice Yip said there was "a strong public interest in the full and unrestricted reporting of what is plainly an exceptional case."

"The public will naturally wish to know the identities of the young people responsible as they seek to understand how children could do something so dreadful. Continuing restrictions inhibits full and informed debate and restricts the full reporting of the case." She continued.

For the first time, Scarlett Jenkinson has admitted to stabbing Brianna Ghey herself as she and Eddie Ratcliffe await their sentence, which will be decided on February 2.