A thug stabbed a 15-year-old 23 times before claiming it was self defence after a row over a stolen motorbike.
Felipe Diglio Figueiredo now faces the possibility of a life sentence after brutally killing Dylan Bragger in Skelmersdale, Lancashire. Figueiredo, 28, confronted the teenager and another male over his stolen bike.
He was caught on CCTV leaving his home on June 29 last year after receiving a text saying the vehicle had been stolen. Preston Crown Court heard the text said the bike was swiped the day before, and then spotted on the Birleywood estate.
Police say Dylan sustained 23 stab wounds to the head, neck, chest, back, abdomen and arms. Dylan was pronounced dead at the scene.
After the attack, Figueiredo returned home and called the police at 9.30pm to hand himself in. His home was then stormed by armed police who arrested him on suspicion of murder.
Figueiredo later claimed he stabbed Dylan “a few times” in self-defence. However, a jury did not believe his story after hearing the scale and extent of Dylan’s injuries.
He has now been convicted of murder. Figueiredo will learn his fate on Friday.
Lancashire Constabulary detectives described the attack as a “heart-breaking tale of events”. Detective Chief Inspector Andy Fallows said: “This is an utterly tragic case in which a 15-year-old boy with his whole life ahead of him has had that abruptly snatched away. My thoughts are with Dylan’s family and friends at what must be an extremely difficult time.
“I know this is a heartbreaking tale of events that has also rocked the local community and though clearly nothing can bring Dylan back, I’m pleased that the guilty verdict will bring the family some much-needed closure.
“Knife crime has no place in Lancashire and we will do all we can to spread the message that one decision to carry a knife, like in the case of Felipe Figueiredo, can not only take a life in the most ruthless of ways, but it can also destroy your own”.
