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Chilling words teen yelled to love rival, 16, before ‘stabbing her to death' in row over boy
The haunting words an 18-year-old shouted to her 16-year-old love rival moments before "stabbing her to death" during a dispute over a boy have been revealed in court.
Chloe Dransfield was allegedly stabbed five times in the back and neck by Kayla Smith after arriving at Smith's home in Leeds, West Yorkshire, with her boyfriend, Blake Dowling, 18, Leeds Crown Court heard.
Dowling had been in relationships with both teenagers and allegedly helped set up the confrontation despite knowing there was bad blood between them.
Smith pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denied murder. Dowling and Archie Rycroft, 20, who followed Smith to the fight on March 28, deny charges of murder and manslaughter.
Teenager allegedly threatened to stab love rival in the throat
According to The Sun, jurors heard that Smith and Dransfield exchanged a series of heated messages and threats in the hours leading up to the fatal confrontation.
During one exchange, Smith allegedly boasted about being better in bed before threatening the younger girl.
"I am going to batter you. Watch what I will do to you," she allegedly said to Dransfield.
In another exchange, overheard by Dransfield's friend during a FaceTime call, she allegedly threatened: "I’m gonna stab you in your throat."
Dransfield replied: "Try stabbing me in my throat, I’ll take it straight out your hand."
The court also heard that approximately two hours before the stabbing, Smith sent Dowling an emotional message, saying: "Listen, I love you Blake. I will never find someone that I love like you. Please stop."
However, just 34 minutes before Dransfield was fatally wounded, Smith allegedly messaged a cousin with another threat: "I’m stabbing her, on my nana’s ashes."
Jurors were told she messaged again 17 minutes later to confirm Dransfield was on her way.
Chilling final warning allegedly captured on CCTV
Prosecutor Mark McKone KC told the court that CCTV footage showed Smith leaving her summer house at approximately 5:10 a.m., wearing pajamas and "striding quickly" with her right hand raised. She appeared to be holding something shiny, jurors heard.
As she approached Dransfield, she yelled, "Come on then, I will stab you," as a male voice was heard laughing, the prosecutor added.
McKone told jurors that Smith then stabbed Dransfield before fleeing the scene, while Rycroft allegedly tried to film the confrontation.
"The prosecution say that this was a pre-planned fight. The prosecution say that Kayla Smith was the person who inflicted all the blows including the fatal blow with a knife," McKone told the court.
The court was also shown a video allegedly capturing Smith, Rycroft, and another man running back toward Smith's home, with someone heard saying, "She's stabbed her."
Grandfather allegedly told 'she's dead' after stabbing
Following the fatal stabbing, Smith and Rycroft ran back to the home she shared with her grandad, Geoff Smith.
Geoff was recorded saying he would call the police, with Smith allegedly responding: "You can’t ring the police; she’s dead."
An ambulance was not called by Smith's grandfather until 5:48 a.m., around 37 minutes after the stabbing.
It was revealed that Dransfield was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead at 6.40AM.
McKone alleged that when police arrived to arrest Smith and Rycroft, the pair were "laughing and joking" with two friends and using nitrous oxide in front of officers.
The prosecution alleges that Dowling and Rycroft both played a role in encouraging the violence that led to Dransfield's death.
"Blake Dowling had been in a relationship with the deceased, Chloe; and Blake had also been in a relationship with the defendant, Kayla Smith...Blake knew of the bad feeling between the two females," he said.
"The prosecution say that Blake Dowling played a part in organising the violence," McKone continued. "Blake Dowling assisted and encouraged Kayla Smith to be violent to (Chloe) by taking (her) to the scene for the specific purpose of a fight."
The prosecutor told jurors that Rycroft "deliberately encouraged Kayla Smith to be violent by walking with (her) to the fight, and by trying to film (her) using violence and by providing support if needed".
However, Dowling denies knowing that Dransfield would suffer really serious harm.
Rycroft maintains that he followed Smith out of curiosity and did not realize she was carrying a knife.
Meanwhile, Smith accepted that she stabbed Dransfield and inflicted the fatal wound, but denied intending to kill her or cause her really serious harm.
The trial continues.