7 days ago
My shy boy, 15, popped out for pizza & was stabbed by thugs who thought he was someone else – my life was destroyed
NIKKI Knight never left her son Mason Rist home alone.
But when the opportunity for a rare night out with friends came along in January 2024 she thought there would be no harm in leaving her 15-year-old for one evening.
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She could never have imagined the horror that would meet her boy that night.
Mason and his friend, Max Dixon, 16, were 'hunted down' and stabbed in a 'revenge attack' after being wrongly identified as culprits of an earlier incident.
The two pals were on their way to get a pizza when Anthony Snook, 45, arrived in his Audi with Riley Tolliver, 18, Kodi Wescott, 17, and two teenagers, aged 15 and 16, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
CCTV footage - from Nikki's house - captured the horrific 33 second attack which began when four youth jumped the pair on Mason's doorstep, just metres from his home in Knowle, Bristol.
Nikki never left Mason on his own but went on a rare night out with friends on January 27, 2024 - leaving her son home alone at their house in Knowle, Bristol, with £20 for a takeaway.
Shortly before midnight, she received a call from Avon and Somerset Police with news that 'changed her life forever'.
At first she thought Mason was doing 'silly voices' down the phone, until an officer confirmed the boys had been involved in a fatal attack.
The heartbroken mum raced home but was unable to see Mason as police had blocked off the street and he was tended to by paramedics.
The boys were rushed to different hospitals - with Mason taken to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children and Max Southmead Hospital, Bristol.
Despite her heartache, Nikki refused to see Mason in hospital - fearing she wouldn't cope with seeing him in that state.
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Mason died shortly after arriving at hospital from his injuries at 12.49am on January 28, 2024, and Max passed away at 1.02am the next day.
The five people involved were all found guilty of double murder during a trial at Bristol Crown Court in November 2024 and sentenced to 117 years between them.
To add to Nikki's distress, one of the killers - Kodishai Wescott - was found to be 'bragging' about the murders after posting a rap song on social media from prison about the attack.
The mum - who is in the process of moving to Wales - is still unable to enter Mason's room but is setting up a charity called The Mason Rist Memorial Trust in his memory.
Nikki, a health care practitioner, says: 'I've not been the same since.
'I've not been able to go into his room.
"Even though I've moved house, and I have lodgers staying there, I can't go in his room.
"It's all locked up - I just can't face it.
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'If I sit and think about Mason, I'll start crying, so I have to stay strong.
'I don't sleep well anymore – maybe a couple of hours a night.
'I'm a 51-year-old woman who sleeps with the light on.'
Nikki says that there are reminders of her son everywhere in her home.
"It happened in front of my house - I can't escape it,' she says.
"I was weeding the front garden and I found a white ECG pad embedded in the flowers.
'That was from my son's chest, I just had to throw it away.
'How do you cope with that?
'What happened is always on my mind, so I have to put a block on it.
'It's the only way to keep going.'
Nikki said Mason was a shy boy who only had a couple of friends at school and loved spending time playing PlayStation.
He lost his dad, Shayne, 50, as a result of covid during the pandemic in 2021 when he was aged 13.
On the night of January 27, 2024, Nikki left Mason home alone with £20 for a takeaway while she went out for the evening with friends.
She said: "He wasn't mixed up in any gangs.
"He was a kind boy who couldn't even hurt a fly.
"Usually his nan or sister would come over, but I left him this one night.
"I thought he'd be safe.
There wasn't a bad bone in his body, he was just a quiet boy and thoughtful
Nikki Knight
"I always worried about Mas.
"I used to cut up his food - I was scared he'd choke.
"That night, I told him to order his McDonalds before I left and to lock all the doors.
"He said 'don't worry, I'm not going to choke if you go out.'"
At around 11.55pm, Nikki was having a drink in the pub when she received a life-changing call from Avon and Somerset Police.
"I said, 'Mas, stop messing around'," she says.
"I thought he was at home, maybe invited a mate over and was doing silly voices.
"I hung up the phone - I still didn't believe it was real.
"But I raced home, and police had blocked off the whole street.
"I was screaming 'where is my son?'.
"I heard the word 'stabbed' but no one was telling me anything."
Mason was rushed to Bristol Children's Hospital and Nikki was met with doctors at 12.49am, who broke the news that Mason had passed away from his injuries.
She recalls: 'I don't remember much or if I cried, I was just numb."
Five people were arrested, all defendants denied the charge of double murder, and a case went to Bristol Crown Court in October 2024.
During the trial, the jury heard about an earlier attack in the Hartcliffe area, Bristol, in which thugs threw bricks at a house and injured a female occupant - which Max and Mason were not involved in.
The five defendants 'tooled up' while motivated by revenge and drove to the neighbouring suburb of Knowle looking for those responsible.
At around 11.13pm, Max arrived at Mason's house to go and get a pizza, and the pair were spotted leaving as the defendants pulled up in an Audi.
The jury heard that both boys were victims of mistaken identity– with the prosecution saying that they were completely innocent and had nothing to do with the attack at the property.
Nikki says: 'I don't know the people - Mason didn't know them.
'I went to court, but I couldn't listen to all of it.
'I don't know how anyone can watch the CCTV.
'It makes me sick to think about it.'
On October 15, 2024, all five defendants were found guilty of two counts of murder.
Anthony Snook, 45, was sentenced to 38 years in prison.
Riley Tolliver, 18, was jailed for a minimum of 23 years and 47 days.
Kodi Wescott, 17, who can be named for the first time after a judge lifted a Section 45 order, was told he would serve a minimum of 23 years and 44 days.
The 15-year-old boy was told he would serve at least 15 years and 229 days, while the 16-year-old was given a minimum term of 18 years and 44 days.
Nikki adds: "I didn't feel anything at the verdict.
"It doesn't matter what they said, it's not going to change anything or bring him back."
Nikki - who is still struggling to come to terms with losing her son - said she tries to remain 'strong' and keep going.
In January 2025, it emerged that Kodi Wescott had posted "offensive" rap tracks about the murders on Snapchat while in jail.
Westcott's offensive video included rap lyrics which referenced "33 seconds" - the time it took for him and three others to ambush and kill Max and Mason.
Nikki says: "I'm disgusted about it - it makes me sick.
"How does he have access to a phone?
"I've met an MP in London about it, there need to be tighter regulations.
"Something has to be done about knife crime, too.
"How has it got this bad in this country?
"We've got kids killing kids.
"In America, you get 50 or 60 years for killing.
"Here it's like 15 years - it's not tough enough.
"Something needs to improve."
Nikki hopes people remember Mason for being a thoughtful boy, and has set up The Mason Rist Memorial Trust in his memory - helping underprivileged children get basic school supplies.
She adds: 'There wasn't a bad bone in his body, he was just a quiet boy and thoughtful.
'I never let him out and I feel bad about that.
'Maybe if he had more, this wouldn't have happened.
'But I thought I knew he was safe at home.
'You don't think the first time he goes out on his own, anything will happen - that this would happen.
"I'm a shadow of my former self but I have to keep going."
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