A 15-year-old boy has been charged with the murder of a nine-year-old girl who was stabbed to death at home.
Aria Thorpe, who had celebrated her ninth birthday with friends just two weeks ago with a Kpop Demon Hunters party, was found dead at a property in Lime Close, Weston-super-Mare just after 6pm on Monday.
A teenage boy was later arrested outside Worle rail station, less than half a mile from the scene.
The 15-year-old has now been charged and will appear at Bristol Magistrates’ Court today.
A post-mortem examination has been carried out and the preliminary finding is that Aria was killed by a single stab wound.
Police announced the charges as a shrine started to grow outside Aria’s home with tributes continuing to flood in.
Friends and family of Aria said they are struggling to cope with the loss of such a ‘sweet, beautiful’ girl.
And the local community has been paying their respects by laying a large collection of flowers, toys and messages close to the scene of the tragedy.
One message read: ‘Aria, sleep tight beautiful girl. In our heart you will stay forever. Love you all your family.’
Another message left at the scene read: ‘I’m going to miss you lots. Thank you for being my friend. I’ve brought you this stitch and I have one as well.’
Another message, from the reception class of Becket School, read: ‘RIP little lady. Taken well too soon. Fly high. Thinking of you and your family at this sad time.’
Superintendent Jen Appleford said: ‘Our investigation has continued at pace since Monday evening and we can confirm a 15-year-old boy, who lives in Weston-super-Mare, has overnight been charged with murder. He is due to appear in court later today.
‘This remains an incredibly difficult time for Aria’s family, who we continue to support and update around our investigation.
‘It is impossible to adequately describe how traumatic the past 36 hours have been for them and we’d like to reiterate in the strongest possible terms their request for privacy.
‘The tragic loss of such a young girl has caused a huge amount of shock and upset, with there being a profound sense of loss felt throughout the community.
‘We are working closely with partner agencies and schools across the Weston area to make sure those affected receive access to any support they need.
‘We are grateful to local residents for the patience shown while we have been carrying out enquiries in the area.
‘This work will need to continue over the next few days, but if anyone has any issues then please do not hesitate to speak to officers on the cordon who will be happy to help.’
