A transgender cat murderer will serve at least 24 years in a men's prison for murdering a BMW engineer she accidentally targeted as part of a twisted sexual fantasy inspired by a Netflix documentary.
Scarlet Blake's own defense attorney admitted his client was so dangerous that no parole board would ever consider it safe to release her back into society.
The 26-year-old hit Jorge Martin Carreno over the head with a vodka bottle, strangling him and then pushing the Spaniard into the River Cherwell in Oxford, where he drowned.
Four months earlier, Blake livestreamed killing a neighbor's cat and putting its body in a blender.
Mr Carreno's brother Gerardo told Oxford Crown Court his siblings' lives had been stolen by the twisted killer, adding: “It was sleepless nights and days.” “Enduring the pain of losing a son and a brother losing is a challenge no family should face.”
His mother Carmen said the loss of her beloved son would leave “an open wound” in the family.
A mugshot issued by Thames Valley Police of Scarlet Blake, who was found guilty of murder
Scarlet Blake at Intrusion nightclub in Oxford
BMW worker Mr Carreno (pictured) had just gone out when Blake approached him
And Mr. Carreno's ex-girlfriend, Irene Hidalgo, described him as a pure soul who had nothing but kind words and a big smile for everyone.
Author blasts the Guardian
A Guardian writer has accused the newspaper of misleading readers by describing Scarlet Blake as a woman without explaining that she is transgender.
Freelancer Louise Tickle said: “As far as I am concerned – and every one of your readers – a woman had committed a depraved and sexually motivated murder of a man by committing a despicable act of animal cruelty.”
A Guardian spokesman said the article had been updated with reference to Blake's transgender identity, which was not included in the agency to which it was resubmitted.
Blake, whose parents are respected doctors, targeted the 30-year-old BMW worker as he walked home from a night out in Oxford on July 24, 2021 – the first Saturday night after Covid restrictions were eased.
She had been roaming the city's streets in a military-style hooded jacket and carrying a backpack filled with “assassin gear,” complete with a garrote and a leopard-print dressing gown.
Her defense attorney Richard Sutton KC offered no mitigation on his client's behalf, admitting she would likely never be released from prison.
He said: “You have to look at Ms Blake's background and decide that she is in some respects a dangerous person. “It is clear that no parole board will feel safe returning to society.”
Months before the murder, Blake filmed herself dicing a family cat after telling it: “I can't wait to put you through the blender.”
The New Order song True Faith can be heard in the horror video. The court was told this was an homage to the Netflix documentary Don't F*** With Cats, about a man who kills kittens before filming the murder of a human victim.
She then bragged about killing the pet and spoke of her desire to “open up a person.”
A still from a video released by police showing Scarlet Blake holding a cat's head after killing it
Blake stalked and killed 30-year-old Jorge Martin Carreno (pictured) in July 2021.
Scarlet Blake, pictured in August last year, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court
Blake got away with murdering Mr Carreno for two years before her ex-partner Ashlynn Bell tipped off police.
She was convicted last week after a three-week trial. The judge also imposed concurrent prison sentences of two and four months in connection with the killing of the cat.
A source confirmed that Blake, who was given puberty blockers at age 17 and hormone treatment at 18, would serve her sentence in a men's prison.
Jailing Blake, Judge Chamberlain said he was certain the defendant had intended to kill Mr Carreno, although he was unsure of the exact method used.
He said: “It is not possible to say exactly how, whether you hit him on the back of the head with a vodka bottle or something else you had in your backpack and then strangled him by putting pressure on the blood vessels just under his jaw .” Use your hands or ligatures and then place them in the river where he drowned.
“Maybe you held him in the water and strangled him. Either way, you intended to kill him, and you did.
“The decision to kill Jorge wasn't a reaction to anything he said or did – it wasn't a momentary mistake, it wasn't a decision made in anger or because emotions overwhelmed you.”
Scarlet Blake is headed to court for the start of her trial earlier this month
An image titled “First date with me”, which showed images of duct tape, a knife, a rope and a gun, was also downloaded onto the 25-year-old's phone, the court was previously told
“It is the culmination of a plan you considered and formulated for months before and after July 25, when you were obsessed with harm and death.”
Prosecutors said Blake killed Mr. Martin Carreno because she was “fixated on violence and knew what it would be like to kill someone.”
The victim's murder came four months after Blake – who was obsessed with violence and death – livestreamed the sadistic killing of a cat, Oxford Crown Court heard.
She was sentenced to four months in prison after admitting causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. The sentence is executed simultaneously.
Blake said to the family pet, “Here we go, my little friend.” Oh man, you smell like shit. I can't wait to put it in the blender.'
After the violent killing, she dissected the animal, removed its fur and skin and placed its body in a blender.
During the trial, prosecutors said Blake found sexual gratification through violence and murder.
The court heard that Mr Martin Carreno had been out with work colleagues in Oxford city center and was trying to get home when Blake found him sitting on the street.
The court found that Blake had an “extreme interest in death and harm” and killed the family pet after watching the Netflix documentary “Don't F*** With Cats: Hunting An Internet Killer.”
In the show, a man films himself putting two kittens in a clear plastic bag before turning on a vacuum cleaner and sucking out all the air
CCTV footage shows Scarlet Blake's movements on the night she killed Mr Carreno
She was caught on CCTV wandering the streets of Oxford looking for a victim. She wore a heavy military-style hooded jacket, a face mask and a backpack.
Prosecutors suspected she was carrying “murder equipment” in her backpack, including a garrote and a cord for a leopard-print dressing gown, which she denied.
When Blake testified, she denied looking for a victim that night and instead went for a walk because she couldn't sleep.
She said she went to Parsons Pleasure with Mr. Martin Carreno and when she went home he was still alive.
“I don't know how he died. I assumed he drowned. I didn't do that. “I still don’t know why, I wasn’t there,” she told the jury.
The court heard how Blake confessed to his former partner Ashlynn Bell (pictured), who lives in the US, that she killed him with a homemade garrote before throwing his body into the water
It was suspected that Mr Martin Carreno may have taken his own life, but any suggestion of suicidal thoughts was dismissed by his friends.
An empty bottle of vodka was found in the river and the bottle cap was located nearby on the bank, which had traces of the defendant's DNA on it.
Interior Ministry pathologist Dr. Brett Lockyer said he did not believe it was likely the Spanish national died accidentally.
During her testimony, Blake claimed she had a fragmented personality, which included being a cat, and meowed to jurors to show how she would interact with friends.
“There's a part that's just a cat, that's weird and that seems to be the happy part of me.” “They come out when I'm happy,” she said.
“With friends who I know quite well and who know this part of me, I meow at them as a greeting.”
“It's quite strange, it's very pronounced when I express certain feelings.”
“For example, the cat has a pretty strong association with joy, and I suspect it has innate goodness. It's a kind of childlike innocence.”
Horrifying CCTV footage shows Blake walking the streets of Oxford city center looking for a victim
Alison Morgan KC, prosecuting, told the jury: “He died because he encountered the defendant that night.”
Blake sat impassively in the dock while Mr Martin Carreno Carreno's brother Geraldo read a victim impact statement before sentencing.
The grieving brother told the court:[Thereisnoremorsefortheiractionsmakingitevenmoredifficulttoprocessthebarbarity”Wemisshimeverydayandthinkabouthislifeifhehadn'tmetBlakethatnight”[EsgibtkeineReuefürihreTatenundmachtesnochschwierigerdieBarbareizuverarbeiten“WirvermissenihnjedenTagunddenkenanseinLebenwennerBlakeindieserNachtnichtgetroffenhätte‘[ThereisnoremorseforheractionsandmakesevenmoredifficulttoprocessthebarbarityWemisshimeverydayandthinkingabouthislifeifhehadnotmetBlakethatnight’
Geraldo said her brother's death had devastated the family, adding: “We were born together, we were best friends.”
“He always spread joy, a great sense of humor and, above all, was an incredibly good person.” A life full of love.
Geraldo added: “Jorge Carreno is the victim.” For us he is son and brother, we share a unique bond. We are triplets, born together, live together, we are best friends.
“He always spread joy with his caring and friendly nature. His great sense of humor and joy of life.
“He was known for his incredible affection. He was always ready to help. He was an incredibly good person. His life was full of love.
“He studied electrical engineering where his passion was obvious, he dreamed of a future where he could make a difference.”
“Enduring the pain of losing a son and a brother is a challenge no family should face.” His life was stolen by Scarlet. The last two years felt like an eternity. There were sleepless nights and days.
“We ask that you understand the full extent of our loss.” We hope that the justice delivered today reflects the loss we have suffered.
A still from a clip released by Thames Valley Police of Scarlet Blake in a cat killing video
A video showed Mr. Carreno trying to find his way home without realizing he had lost his wallet
Witness Ashlynn Bell told police she was too mentally damaged to testify in court
Prosecutors say Blake had a fetish for strangulation and was obsessed with violence and death. The jury was previously shown a collage of nine female killers stored on Blake's phone
“Scarlet Blake has no remorse, which makes it harder for us to process it.” She knows that she took Jorge's life because of her own sexual convictions. It's hard to know. “It was shocking to hear her in this court, her lack of empathy is obvious.”
The victim's grieving mother, Carmen, read her statement in Spanish, which was translated by an interpreter in the courtroom.
She said: “We would like to pay tribute to our beloved son and brother.” An extraordinary child with his kindness and ability to give of himself to others.
“He dreamed of a future where he would make a difference.” His sense of humor filled every room and his caring nature lit up every place with his infectious curiosity.
“Above all, Jorge was an incredibly good person. His loss is an open wound in his family. His loss has left a void that cannot be filled. We have a deep wound in our hearts because his life was stolen.'
She continued: “There can be no peace until justice is served and Jorge will always be present in our hearts.”
The sick visual captures the moment a trans murderer puts a cat in a blender before committing a twisted murder that bears shocking similarities to Luka Magnotta's real-life crime
A sickening picture shows transgender murderer Scarlet Blake enjoying the moment she puts a cat in a blender before committing a twisted murder – a chilling echo of a Netflix true crime documentary.
Blake, 26, live-streamed the killing and dissection of a cat four months before she targeted Jorge Martin Carreno, 30, as he walked home from a night out in Oxford in July 2021.
She admitted dissecting the animal, removing its fur and skin and putting it in a blender, but blames her former partner Ashlynn Bell.
The court previously heard that Blake had an “extreme interest in death and harm” and killed the family pet after watching a Netflix documentary called Don't F*** With Cats: Hunting An Internet Killer ” had seen.
In the show, a man, Luka Magnotta, kills kittens before filming a murder.
Prosecutors had argued that the cat's killing was relevant to the murder trial because it showed Blake had a “disturbing interest in what it would be like to harm a living being.”
Blake consciously set out to kill, having previously butchered and dissected a neighbor's cat.
As her death-obsessed partner Bell watched from her home in the US, Blake livestreamed the dismemberment of the cat while it was still alive.
A vet determined that it would have been in extreme pain until the heart was ripped out.
Police later found the heart in a jewelry box that Blake kept as a souvenir.
It was only after Blake's arrest in August 2023 that they discovered the cat killing video and her strangulation fetish and launched Operation Ingmar.