Murdered in chilly blood whereas on their approach to get pizza: Final moments of two finest pals earlier than they had been hunted down by machete gang in case of mistaken identification – as households pay tribute to pair who ‘would not harm a fly’

Best friends Max Dixon and Mason Rist were on their way to buy pizza when they were senselessly ‘hunted down’ and murdered by a machete gang in a case of mistaken identity.

Forming a close bond from an early age, Max, 16, and Mason, 15, had grown up together. They went to the same nursery, junior and secondary school and spent their time chatting and gaming on the PlayStation.

January 27 was no different – the teenagers wanted to spend time together. CCTV shows Max calling round Mason’s house in Ilminster Avenue, Knowle, Bristol, at 11.13pm and the pair can be seen walking down the street to go and pick up a pizza.

Max’s mother, Leanne Ekland, was heading to bed and Mason’s mum, Nikki Knight, was enjoying a rare night out with friends.

Although they knew their sons were close, they were unaware that they were meeting up and going out for food.

But seconds after setting off, the young boys were chased and knifed to death in a horrific attack, just yards away from Mason’s front door after being wrongly identified as the culprits of an attack on a house that happened just an hour earlier.

Their heartbroken families today paid tribute to the ‘innocent’ pair who ‘wouldn’t hurt a fly’ – as they rejoiced at the attackers being brought to justice.

Anthony Snook, 45, Riley Tolliver, 18, and three teenagers aged 15, 16 and 17 – who cannot be named for legal reasons – were today convicted of the murders of Max and Mason.

Max and Mason suffered ‘unsurvivable’ stab wounds and died in hospital, while the murderers drove off in their car before burning their clothing in an attempt to cover their tracks. 

Leanne Ekland, Max’s mother, said her son and Mason had known each other since nursery school.

‘The last six weeks have been emotionally draining,’ she said. ‘Today’s outcome doesn’t change the fact that two families go home without their boys.

‘We can now hopefully begin to process that and remember them both and the happy memories that both families have of Max and Mason.

‘I need to thank everyone that’s been involved in our case. I have so much respect for the hard work, dedication and support for our families.

‘There are no words to express how thankful I am to everyone. I will be forever grateful to them.

‘I wish we didn’t have to be here today, but we’ve got some sort of justice for our boys.’

In a statement released after the verdicts, Mason’s family said: ‘Our family is like a jigsaw puzzle and, with the loss of Mason, it is like a part of our jigsaw is gone forever and will never be complete.

‘Mason was a quiet boy who would never hurt a fly. He was just so lovely and innocent.

‘It is impossible to put into words how we feel. This whole process has been incredibly hard and hearing what we have heard, what happened to him, it is horrible to think about Mason’s last moments.

‘These dangerous individuals took away our son, brother, nephew, uncle and grandchild and we must now navigate the rest of our lives without our missing puzzle piece.

‘From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank everyone worked so hard on this case.

‘The investigation team for being so hard working and dedicated, we appreciate it wasn’t easy working endless hours and under pressure but it is because of you we got this result.

‘The family wouldn’t have been able to get through this unbearable time without having the best family liaison officers assigned to us.

‘They have gone above and beyond to ensure we are always updated, guided and supported throughout this awful process.’

The defendants sat impassively and stared straight ahead as the verdicts were delivered, while the victims’ relatives in the public gallery cried as the guilty verdicts were gives. Others cheered and punched the air.

After Max and Mason left the property in Ilminster Avenue, they were ‘hunted down’ within seconds and stabbed to death in a case of mistaken identity. 

CCTV footage shown to the jury captured the gang of five men getting out of a car holding machetes before setting on the fleeing teenagers in a frenzied attack lasting just 33 seconds. 

In footage of officers arresting Tolliver at his home, he is heard asking if he can have a ‘puff’ on his ‘blue razz cherry’ vape before being taken away.

Tolliver says: ‘Can I have a go on my puff before I go though. It’s a puff… Can’t I? It’s just blue razz cherry. Nicotine.’

Officers refuse, explaining that they don’t want to ’cause issues’ and there could be ‘cannabis in it which could affect your ability to be interviewed’.

Tolliver is also heard asking if he can ‘stand up’ and whether officers can loosen his cuffs. 

At another point, he gives police permission to tell his grandmother why he has been arrested.  

The two boys had been wrongly identified as being responsible for bricks being thrown at a house in the rival Hartcliffe district at 10.07pm that evening. 

Around 50 minutes later, Snook left the property with two of the boys and picked up the other two in a nearby street before heading to Knowle West.

The Audi Q2 was driven around Knowle West for at least 12 minutes before the attack, the jury was told.

Snook drove down Ilminster Avenue and when they saw Mason and Max in the street they wrongly believed they had spotted those responsible for the attack.

Ray Tully KC, prosecuting, told the jury: ‘They were entirely wrong about that. Max and Mason had absolutely nothing to do with any earlier incident and no connection whatsoever with those events.’

Tolliver, who had a baseball bat, and the three teenagers armed with machetes jumped out of the car and chased after the two boys.

Max and Mason are seen going to different sides of the street, each pursued by two people from the vehicle.

Tolliver and the 15-year-old boy attacked Mason, while the 16-year-old boy and 17-year-old boy chased Max.

The 17-year-old boy also struck Mason, who was lying injured on the ground, as he headed back to the Audi after attacking Max.

A CCTV camera on Mason’s nearby house captured how the attack lasted just 33 seconds from the car pulling up to the teenagers getting back in and leaving.

Mason and Max sustained fatal stab injuries, and both died in hospital in the early hours of January 28.

Snook drove the teenagers from the scene and dropped them off in Knowle West.

A fire was lit in a back garden and items linked to the attack disposed of.

Meanwhile, the 16-year-old boy picked up a McDonald’s meal and drinks just six hours after the attack.

Giving evidence, Snook claimed he thought he was driving the teenagers in his Audi Q2 disability car to a ‘safe house’ after the attack on the Hartcliffe property.

When he was told to stop in Ilminster Avenue he believed they were outside the safe house, Snook alleged.

The landscape gardener, who lost a leg in a road accident, insisted he did not know the boys were carrying weapons and was looking in his rear view mirror at the time Max and Mason were attacked.

‘I thought they had got into a fight or something. I didn’t want to be involved with it. I didn’t think it was something that cost two people their lives,’ he said.

‘I just thought it was something stupid between Hartcliffe and Knowle that I had been dragged into. I didn’t realise anyone had been seriously hurt.’

The four teenagers did not give evidence during the trial.

But the jury was told the 16-year-old had been covertly recorded in custody saying he had heard Mason screaming during the attack and ‘had to sort of join in’.

He also said he had put on ‘loads more tracksuits’ and left his phone behind before heading to Knowle West.

In closing speeches to the jury, barristers representing the teenagers said there was no joint plan to attack the two boys.

Anna Vigars KC, representing the 16-year-old, suggested her client did not have any intention to kill or cause really serious harm to Max or Mason.

‘He didn’t spring into action – he gets left behind. He didn’t know what the plan was, if there was a plan,’ Mrs Vigars said.

‘It isn’t just that his heart was not in it, but his intention was not either.’

Christopher Quinlan KC, representing the 17-year-old, said his client had admitted the manslaughter of Max but denied inflicting any injury to Mason.

The jury were shown the CCTV footage of Mason, after being struck by the 15-year-old, getting to his feet, with prosecutors then alleging the 17-year-old inflicted a second blow to him.

But Mr Quinlan suggested an alternative, telling jurors: ‘He had managed to get to his feet but because of the injury he sustained he wasn’t able to stand, as the 17-year-old passes him.

‘We say when you divorce Mason’s movements from the 17-year-old then the evidence is not there that he did stab him or make contact with him.’

Ignatius Hughes KC, representing Riley Tolliver, said his client had not struck Mason with a ‘sword, machete or zombie knife’.

‘A baseball bat is a very different choice of weapon to go out with than a great big zombie knife,’ he said.

‘He had an opportunity to cause really serious injury to Mason, but he didn’t do it.’

Kate Brunner KC, representing the 15-year-old, said he was not involved in the fatal attack on Max because it happened at the same time he was murdering Mason.

‘He has told you the terrible thing that he did. He was 14 when he stabbed Mason,’ she added.

‘He says that he did that, he’s been honest with this court and with you by saying guilty.’

Mason’s uncle David Knight added: ‘We would like to say a massive thank you to Detective Superintendent Gary Haskins and all his team.

‘They promised us right at the beginning that they would do everything in their power and they have. They’ve got them.

‘We would like to thank the jury for having to see what we’ve seen, and no-one should ever see any of that.

‘We want to thank them for coming to the correct decision.’

Speaking after the verdicts, Detective Superintendent Gary Haskins, senior investigating officer at Avon and Somerset Police, said Max and Mason had been going for a pizza when they were fatally attacked in a case of mistaken identity.

‘They are beautiful boys, going about their business, in their own community when they were senselessly attacked by the individuals for no reason,’ he told the PA news agency.

‘What we know is that they passed Max when he was walking towards Mason’s house. Then Mason walks out of his house and joins Max.

‘The vehicle is passing, they think ‘that’s them, they will do’. They were hunting around Knowle to find people.

‘We know they had driven around Knowle two and a half times before they came across these two boys.’

Snook will be sentenced on November 19 at Bristol Crown Court.

The other four defendants will be sentenced on December 16 following the preparation of pre-sentence reports.

Trial judge Mrs Justice May thanked the jury for their work over the last five weeks.

‘Jury service is probably the most important public service you are asked to make,’ she said.

‘Some cases are particularly demanding on a jury and we are all aware this has been one of those.’

Vicky Cook, chief crown prosecutor for CPS South West, said: ‘The deaths of Max and Mason sent shockwaves through their community and the city of Bristol.

‘The Crown Prosecution Service worked closely with our colleagues in the Avon and Somerset major crime investigation team to build our case.

‘This was that all five defendants were jointly responsible for the murders of both Max and Mason.

‘Regardless of which individuals caused any of the fatal injuries, the evidence shows that all five were working together and share joint responsibility for this terrible crime.

‘The four youths armed themselves and went hunting for people to attack. When they came across Max and Mason, they launched a brutal, joint attack that left both boys fatally injured.

‘Antony Snook drove the youths around while they looked for people to attack. He knew that they were heavily armed and out for revenge. He could have been in no doubt about what they intended to do.

‘Snook waited for the youths while they carried out their cowardly attack, then acted as their getaway driver, helping them to escape the scene.

‘Today’s verdicts serve as a reminder that the carrying of knives and other bladed weapons can only lead to tragedy.

‘The loss that has been suffered by the families of Max and Mason is simply unimaginable, and our thoughts remain with them.’