Teen, 16, Faces Trial Over 9-Year-Old Aria Thorpe's Killing After Same-Day School Expulsion
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 17
Teen, 16, Faces Trial Over 9-Year-Old Aria Thorpe's Killing After Same-Day School Expulsion
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 17
Summary
Bristol Crown Court heard the 16-year-old defendant had been expelled from school hours before nine-year-old Aria Thorpe was fatally stabbed at her Weston-super-Mare home on 15 December.
Jurors were told his mother got the exclusion call that day, confiscated his phone and saw no major change in his behavior, while his grandfather described him as impulsive but not physically aggressive.
Aria's mother said she left the bubbly nine-year-old eating mini-pizzas after a dance class at about 16:30, and lodger Ollie Sheppard found her face down shortly after 18:00; resuscitation ended at 18:58.
Police arrested the boy on a train at Worle station moments before departure, and jurors heard he later said in interview, "I don't know why I did it, it just happened," adding that he was scared and shocked.
The defendant denies both murder and manslaughter, and the trial is continuing.