A 19-year-old man, Axel Rudakubana, has pleaded guilty to murdering three young girls and attempting to murder seven others in a Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance class event. The victims were Elsie Stancombe, 7, Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9, and Bebe King, 6.
The stabbings took place at The Hart Space community center in Southport, England, during the girls’ summer vacation from school. Rudakubana, who was born in Wales to Rwandan Christian parents, pleaded guilty to three counts of murder and 10 attempted murders.
Rudakubana’s attorney asked for the charges to be put to his client again before he pleaded guilty “in a barely audible voice.” The teenager will be sentenced on January 23. Trial judge Mr. Justice Goose warned Rudakubana that the sentence would mean a life sentence.
Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor Ursula Doyle described the attack as “unspeakable” and said it left an enduring mark on the community. She praised the prosecution for proving Rudakubana’s guilt, saying it spared the families from having to relive their ordeal through a trial.
Taylor Swift, 35, shared a message on her Instagram Stories after the attack, expressing shock and sympathy for the victims’ families. The singer wrote that she was “at a complete loss” for words and could only convey her sympathies to the affected families.
Source: https://people.com/man-pleads-guilty-stabbing-three-children-to-death-taylor-swift-themed-event-8777235