Families Recount Night Two Teenagers Were Fatally Stabbed in Bristol

Mason Rist, aged 15, and Max Dixon, 16, shared a close friendship, having attended nursery, junior, and secondary school together. Their leisure time was often spent conversing and playing games on the PlayStation. However, a specific night in January irrevocably altered their families’ lives. On January 27, 2024, a cold evening in Bristol, Max’s mother, Leanne Ekland, was preparing for bed. Concurrently, Mason’s mother, Nikki Knight, was enjoying an infrequent evening out with friends. Unaware to either parent, their sons had arranged to meet and were heading out to purchase food. Moments later, they were fatally stabbed in the street, mere yards from Mason’s residence. Leanne recalled a vehicle stopping outside her home just after 23:00 GMT. A friend of Max’s then called out through the door, stating that Max had been stabbed. Leanne recounted, “I said ‘no he’s not, he’s in bed’, then it hit me. I just screamed.” Leanne was transported to Ilminster Avenue, where emergency services had already established a presence along the street where the attack occurred. Leanne further stated, “They took me down to see Max. A lot of people stopped me to start off with, but I managed to get to him and sit down with him. I said ‘Max, Mum’s here’. He opened up his eyes,” She added, “He knew I was there. He knew I was with him. He was so pale, he was cold, he kept saying to me ‘mum, I want to go to sleep’.” Concurrently, Nikki received a phone call from her son’s device, which was from the police. She remarked, “I thought, is this some kind of wind up?” Upon returning to her residence on Ilminster Avenue, she discovered her “whole road taped and lights everywhere”. She described the scene, saying, “It was a blur,” and added, “A bit like a movie. I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere.” The teenagers were fatally stabbed by a group of other teenagers using machetes, which had blades measuring 42cm in length. Both victims succumbed to their injuries in hospital during the early hours of Sunday morning, dying within 15 minutes of one another. The incident was determined to be a tragic instance of mistaken identity. Subsequently, five individuals have been convicted of their murders, following over 18 hours of jury deliberations. Leanne commented, “They were just a good team. Mason was the quiet one, Max was the loud one.” She continued, “They were always on the PlayStation. What I would give to hear his voice now, shouting down the PlayStation.” Leanne also stated, “He was definitely a Mummy’s boy. He would put his legs over me, he was 6ft 2, so trying to sit on my lap, it was, yeah. That’s what I miss about him.” Each night before sleeping, Leanne contemplates the events that led to Max’s death. She questioned, “What if I’d heard him going out the door – could I have stopped him?” adding, “As a mum you are meant to protect your children.” She concluded, “I’m lucky I had 16 really good years with him and I loved him very much. I still love him very much.” Nikki expressed a similar sentiment. She stated, “You try and keep your child safe, I tried and someone took him. I’d much rather they took my life.” Nikki also conveyed, “I miss my son being here,” and described, “His personality, the way he was. We were very protective of Mason. We thought if he was in the house, he was safe.” She concluded, “It’s the big word. The big M murder word. They were taken from us and we weren’t prepared for it.” Leanne remarked that her son should have been able to get pizza with his friend that evening “without losing his life”. She further stated, “No parent should have to go through this. No parent should bury their child, it’s not fair. We’ve got a life sentence.” Since the incident, she has only managed to enter her son’s bedroom on three occasions. She explained, “When I wake up in the morning, his bedroom door is opposite mine so I say ‘morning Max’.” She added, “There’s still a plate and a cup in his bedroom. I can’t bring myself to take it out, as that’s what he used that night.” Chloe, Mason’s older sister, is also grappling with the bereavement. She expressed, “I don’t know how to navigate life without him.” Chloe continued, “I still feel like he’s lost and I want to find him. We had a bond that I can’t even explain.” Chloe conveyed her guilt over not being present for him that night. She stated, “I was in bed watching TV, while my brother lay on the street dying and I wasn’t there to protect him.” She added, “We never had a goodbye. I never got to hold his hand. His life feels so unfinished.” Chloe mentioned that upon visiting her mother’s house, she is surprised to find Mason’s room vacant. She remarked, “He’s not in there and my mind plays tricks on me,” and continued, “I think if I open the door maybe he’ll be in there.” She questioned, “We were so protective over him, he doesn’t go out, so why would the one time he went out, would this would happen to him? It just don’t make sense.” For further updates, follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Story ideas can be submitted via email or WhatsApp at 0800 313 4630. This content is Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external sites. Information regarding the BBC’s approach to external linking is available.