A murderer who led a man to his death and live-streamed the killing of a cat months before has been sentenced to a minimum of 24 years in jail. Scarlet Blake, 26, assaulted Jorge Martin Carreno and pushed him into the River Cherwell in Oxford in July 2021.
The judge noted that a Netflix show depicting cat killings influenced Blake’s actions. She was convicted of murder at Oxford Crown Court last Friday.
During the trial, it was revealed that Blake had been targeting potential victims while roaming the streets.
Blake had previously confessed to damaging the cat, according to reports. The Ministry of Justice stated that Blake, who is transgender, will serve the sentence in a men’s prison.
During the court proceedings, it was disclosed that she immigrated to the UK from China at the age of nine and came out as transgender to her parents when she was 12. She recounted,
“It made my father really unhappy and my mother as well,” leading to a significant emotional strain within the family.
Jurors learned about Blake’s intense fascination with death and harm, which extended beyond mere fantasy. Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC stated that Blake derived sexual gratification from thoughts of violence and death.
According to testimony, Mr. Carreno, a Spanish national employed at the Mini plant in the city, had been out drinking with colleagues after Covid restrictions were lifted.
He later became separated from his friends, potentially getting lost, before encountering Blake by chance. The court was informed that Blake led him to a secluded riverbank, struck him with a vodka bottle, attempted to strangle him, and then pushed him into the water, where he drowned.
Blake previously disclosed to the jury about an online relationship she had with Ashlynn Bell, another transgender woman residing in the US. She claimed that killing the cat was something she did not desire and asserted that she did it to please Ms. Bell, pretending to enjoy it.
However, the court heard evidence of Blake dissecting the cat and blending its remains, deriving “grotesque pleasure” from the act.
In the live stream video, the song “True Faith” by The New Order played in the background, which the court noted as a homage to the Netflix documentary “Don’t F*** With Cats.” This documentary depicts a man killing kittens before escalating to the murder of a person.
In delivering the sentence, Mr. Justice Chamberlain KC remarked,
“You told the court it had nothing to do with the documentary. I am sure that this was untrue, and the documentary played a part in your own mind in the link between killing a cat and killing a person.”
Mr. Carreno’s two brothers addressed the court, expressing the indescribable extent of their grief. They described themselves as triplets, having been born together, grown up together, and been best friends. They fondly recalled Jorge’s ability to illuminate any space with his joyful presence, emphasizing his inherently good nature.
“Scarlet Blake has shown no remorse for her actions, making it even more difficult to process,” they lamented. “She has taken the life of Jorge for her own sexual pleasure. It is deeply disturbing to know.”
Jorge’s mother, Carmen, delivered a heartfelt tribute to the court, describing her son as not only an exemplary child but also an exceptional individual. She expressed the profound pain of losing Jorge under tragic and unjustifiable circumstances, leaving an irreplaceable void in their lives.
“This loss feels like a traumatic, devastating blow, leaving a void impossible to fill,” she said. “Today his absence leaves a deep wound in our hearts.”
In his closing remarks, Mr. Justice Chamberlain acknowledged the Carreno family’s remarkable composure throughout the trial, remarking on their impressive dignity in the face of such adversity.
In delivering the sentence, Mr. Justice Chamberlain emphasized the defendant’s clear sexual motivation for the killing. He stated,
“I am sure you did derive pleasure from killing Jorge, as you had from killing the cat.”
The judge noted Blake’s return to the scene to take photographs and her deliberate use of her status as a murderer to gain admiration from others who shared her interests in harm, death, and killing.
Det Supt Jon Capps, the senior investigating officer, described aspects of the case as “truly disturbing,” acknowledging the need for support for jurors due to the nature of the evidence.
Blake, residing in Crotch Crescent, Oxford, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 24 years for the murder. Additionally, she received a four-month imprisonment term for causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and a two-month term for criminal damage, both to run concurrently.
