Two British teens have been charged with the murder of transgender TikToker Brianna Ghey and ordered held without bail after she was found slain in a park, local officials said Wednesday.
The 15-year-old boy and girl appeared before a district judge and were formally charged on Wednesday, Cheshire constabulary said.
The parents of the boy, who is from Leigh, held hands during the hearing. At one point, the father waved toward his son, according to The Guardian.
The girl’s parents were more distraught, sobbing as she confirmed her name, age, and birth date, the outlet reported.
District Judge Joe McGarva, who addressed the hearing via video link, refused to bail the teens, who were clad in gray sweatshirts and joggers. They were both ordered held at youth detention centers.
The duo was arrested shortly after Ghey, 16, was discovered stabbed to death in Linear Park in Warrington on Saturday afternoon.
In the aftermath of the grisly find, police said they believed the attack was “targeted,” but found no evidence that Ghey’s death was a hate crime related to her trans identity.
Both suspects– whose names have not been released due to their age– have been in custody since Monday, according to The Guardian.
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In a statement following the proceedings, the Cheshire constabulary urged the public to refrain from proliferating materials that could “in any way prejudice” the investigation.
Wednesday’s hearing came after vigils honoring Ghey were held in Liverpool and Bristol, with more scheduled for Manchester, Glasgow, Leeds, and beyond, the BBC said.
As of Wednesday morning, a GoFundMe for Ghey’s family had already amassed nearly £90,000 ($108,085.76).
“Brianna was an outgoing, confident girl,” the fundraiser’s description reads.
“She brought a lot of laughter to those who knew her.”
In addition to her loved ones, Ghey also left a legacy on TikTok, where she garnered thousands of followers with her lip sync videos and other content. On Wednesday, her name was a popular hashtag on the platform as other creators expressed their shock at her death.
“Literally sitting here in tears,” one of the heartbreaking videos read.
