crimesandcuriosities: The Murder of Ana Kriegel: A Girl Who Just Wanted to Make Friends Ana&rsq
crimesandcuriosities: The Murder of Ana Kriegel: A Girl Who Just Wanted to Make Friends Ana’s Story In May 2018, years of psychological torment came to a cruel end for Ana Kriegel when she was callously murdered by two teenage boys. After being adopted from Russia at 2 years old, Ana was just 14 years old when she was subjected to horrific physical abuse and succumbed to her injuries in Lucan, Republic of Ireland. Although closely treasured by her adoptive parents, Ana’s subtlety and kind nature was often taken for weakness by others her own age. As a younger child, she endured a complicated surgery to remove a tumour from inside her ear, which caused long-term visual and hearing issues. Rather than receiving support for her impairment, fellow classmates used it as an opportunity to mock Ana and prey on her vulnerability. She would also often receive criticism for ‘not having a real mum and dad’, but despite these setbacks, Ana continued to try and establish friendships. As Ana aged into her teenage years with little companionship, she turned to creating accounts on various social media platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram and Youtube to find people with the same interests. However, instead of making friends, the bullying continued to follow Ana online. She began receiving sexually explicit and threatening messages. One comment on a Youtube video Ana uploaded simply read “I’d have you executed”. The inappropriate behaviour she experienced transcended into real life during October 2017, when Ana was returning home from a Halloween event she had helped to organise. She was approached by four older boys in the street, who told Ana that they were going to have sex with her. She had told them “no”, and as she walked away, one of the boys retaliated by hitting her on the backside. Ana returned home very emotionally distressed, and the culprits were issued with a caution by police. However, this experience proved to be the final straw for Ana’s resilience, and a downward spiral into depression and self-harm ensued. Just as Ana had become more socially withdrawn, she thought her life was changing for the better when she received a sudden knock at her door. It was a local 13 year old boy (Boy B)*, who informed Ana that he was going to take her to meet another boy (Boy A)*, also 13 years old. Ana learned that Boy A was somebody she had liked for some time, so she was more than happy to follow. Sadly, Ana was never to return home, and her body was found in a derelict house after a three-day search. ( * Boy A and Boy B are named as such due to their age, and their anonymity is protected by the law. ) Ana’s Murder At first, Ana’s body was mistaken for a discarded mannequin lying amongst used condom packaging and broken glass. However, the blood on her face and bruising on her thighs quickly confirmed that the abandoned building was now a crime scene. Ana had been stripped naked down to only her socks before receiving significant injuries to her head and neck, and she had also been left with industrial tape wound tightly around her throat. Ana’s fingers were underneath the tape, as though she had been trying to prise it away at the time of her death. A more detailed autopsy found that, in total, there were around 60 injuries sustained to her body. This included numerous defensive wounds, leading prosecutors to maintain that Ana had fought extremely hard for her life. CCTV footage was reviewed, which showed Boy B leading Ana away from her home towards the direction of the murder scene, where Boy A was already waiting. After their arrest, traces of Ana’s blood were found on Boy A’s shoes, as well as a ‘murder kit’ hidden in his bedroom which contained a mask, gloves, protective leg wear, a concrete block, and a piece of wood with nails stuck into the end. The ultimate cause of death was recorded as blunt force trauma, but horrifically Ana had also been strangled throughout this ordeal. As well as the beating Ana had sustained, forensic examination also showed that she had been sexually assaulted, as there were signs of attempted penetration and traces of semen from Boy A were found on a torn garment belonging to Ana. Further searches of the young boys’ homes identified that both boys had developed an obsession with violent pornography. Almost 12,000 sexually explicit images were found on numerous electronic devices belonging to Boy A, and past internet searches had included terms such as “child porn” and “teen sweet Russian”, as well as “most gruesome torture methods in history” and “abandoned places in Lucan”. Trial and Sentencing Despite the overwhelming evidence to indicate their involvement, both boys went on to plead not guilty. Based on what was witnessed during court proceedings, they also received the support of their parents. It was noted that, while details of the case were read out to the jury, Boy A appeared visibly upset and held his father’s hand while his mother also cried. It was also noted that Boy A walked with a limp, which was thought to be a result of his struggle with Ana. Boy B averted his gaze to the ground for most of the hearing and held on to his mother. After a guilty verdict was reached, the father of Boy B flew into an explosive rage before storming out of the courtroom. He then returned shortly afterwards to sarcastically slow clap and angrily say “an innocent child is going to prison” and shouted “you fucking bunch of scumbags!” at the prosecution team. Boy B had previously confided to detectives that he had been approached by Boy A one month before Ana’s murder. He claimed that Boy A had asked him if he wanted to kill someone, and named Ana Kriegel specifically. Boy B claimed he did not consent to participating in her murder, but did acknowledge that he had called at Ana’s home to inform her that Boy A wanted to meet her. He then led her to the location where she would be murdered, but claimed to have run away when Boy A became violent. The trial will recommence on 15th July 2019 for the submission of any mitigating evidence which may reduce the imposed punishment, and the sentencing will follow. -- source link