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A court has heard that a 16-year-old boy accused of murdering nine-year-old Aria Thorpe searched online for information about the consequences of killing someone shortly after the fatal incident.
The teenager, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, is on trial at Bristol Crown Court over the death of Aria in Weston-super-Mare on 15 December 2025. The young girl died after suffering a single stab wound to the chest.
Prosecutor Ray Tully KC told jurors that Aria was discovered lying in a pool of blood in the family home's living room by a family friend returning from work. While the friend called emergency services and attempted CPR, the defendant allegedly fled to Worle railway station.
According to the prosecution, the boy approached a group of school acquaintances at the station and borrowed a mobile phone. Analysis later revealed he used the device to search what would happen if he killed someone.
Witnesses told the court the teenager said he needed to “get away” and claimed the victim had run into a 22cm knife he was holding. One member of the group alerted police after asking others to keep him occupied, a response the prosecution described as “smart, thoughtful and brave”.
The defendant was arrested on a train shortly afterwards. During police interviews, he said Aria had spoken his name after being stabbed before collapsing, and admitted leaving the scene because he was frightened. When asked if he regretted what had happened, he nodded.
Jurors also heard evidence that the teenager had been active on his phone until around 3am on the night before the incident. A group chat was reportedly renamed from “Cut my life into pieces” to “I am going to kms”, which the prosecution suggested referred to “kill myself”.
The court was told the boy’s phone had been confiscated hours before the attack and that he later described the device as representing “freedom” to him.
Medical evidence showed Aria, who stood 4ft 4in tall and weighed just over four stone, suffered an approximately 8cm-deep wound that penetrated her heart and punctured her left lung.
The defendant denies both murder and the alternative charge of manslaughter. The trial is expected to continue for two weeks.
