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Family handout<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nA group of teenagers and a man have been found guilty of murdering two best friends in a case of mistaken identity.<\/p>\n Mason Rist, 15, and Max Dixon, 16, were stabbed to death yards from Mason’s front door in Knowle West, Bristol, on 27 January.<\/p>\n Antony Snook, 45, Riley Tolliver, 18, and two boys, 17 and 16, had all denied murder.<\/p>\n A 15-year-old boy admitted murdering Mason but denied killing Max, however a jury at Bristol Crown Court found each member of the group guilty of both murders.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Snook will be sentenced on 19 November, with the four teenagers due to be sentenced on 16 December. <\/p>\n The jury of nine men and three women took 18 hours 45 minutes deliberating before returning the verdicts. <\/p>\n As the jury foreman returned the verdicts none of the defendants showed any reaction from the dock.<\/p>\n Members of Mason and Max\u2019s families, who were sitting in the public gallery, cried as the guilty verdicts were given.<\/p>\n Other relatives cheered and punched the air.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Speaking outside court Leanne Ekland, Max’s mum, said: “Today\u2019s outcome doesn\u2019t change the fact that two families go home without their boys.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we can now hopefully begin to process and remember them both and the happy memories both families have of Max and Mason.”<\/p>\n Speaking to the BBC, the boys’ mums said that their sons were taken from them<\/a> in a way that changed their lives forever.<\/p>\n Mason’s uncle, David Knight, said that his nephew was “so loving and caring”.<\/p>\n He described how with his death, their family will never be complete. <\/p>\n \u201cHe will always be in our hearts.<\/p>\n “These animals took away a son, a brother, a nephew, an uncle, and a grandchild,” he said. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n During the trial, the court heard Max and Mason each received fatal stab wounds<\/a> from two machetes.<\/p>\n One of the weapons used had a blade length of 42cm (16.5in), while a second was 41cm (16in).<\/p>\n The jury was told how Max and Mason had been wrongly identified as being responsible for throwing bricks at a house in the neighbouring Hartcliffe area earlier that evening.<\/p>\n The five accused had set off from Hartcliffe heading to Knowle West \u201chell-bent on revenge\u201d, Ray Tully KC told the court.<\/p>\n Snook, from Hartcliffe, Bristol, drove down Ilminster Avenue and when they saw Mason and Max in the street they wrongly believed they had spotted those responsible<\/a> for the attack.<\/p>\n Mr Tully added: \u201cThey were entirely wrong about that. Max and Mason had absolutely nothing to do with any earlier incident and no connection whatsoever with those events.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Snook claimed he “didn’t know” the teenagers were going to kill the boys when he drove them to the area in his Audi Q2.<\/p>\n Mr Tully said the four younger defendants were all armed and argued all five people were responsible for their deaths, which the jury accepted.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/bbcx\/grey-placeholder.png\")
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Avon and Somerset Police<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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