Something unbelievably sinister was in the air surrounding Taylor Swift this summer. Less than a month before her Eras Tour shows in Austria were cancelled due to a terror threat, a dance and yoga class themed around the pop star's music in Southport, England, was the target of a mass stabbing. Three little girls — Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Dasilva Aguiar (aged six, seven and nine, respectively) — were killed, and 18-year-old suspect Axel Rudakubana has now pleaded guilty to their murder.
UPDATE (1/23, 12:41 p.m. ET): As the BBC reports, Rudakubana has now been sentenced to at least 52 years in prison — a length of time including concurrent sentences for three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder.
"He will serve almost the whole of his life in custody," said Judge Julian Goose. "I consider it likely he will never be released and he will be in custody for all of his life." While the judge maintained that there was insufficient evidence to suggest that the teenager had intended to commit an act of terrorism, Goose considers Rudakubana's crimes "equivalent to terrorist matters."
As TMZ reports, Rudakubana's trial began today at Liverpool Crown Court. After having previously pleaded not guilty, he entered a guilty plea for 16 charges — 10 for attempted murder, as well as additional indictments for possession of ricin (a highly potent toxin from the seeds of the castor oil plant) and an Al-Qaeda manual — in connection with the July 29 attack.
"This was an unspeakable attack — one which left an enduring mark on our community and the nation for its savagery and senselessness," Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor Ursula Doyle said [via CTV News]. "A day which should have been one of carefree innocence; of children enjoying a dance workshop and making friendship bracelets, became a scene of the darkest horror as Axel Rudakubana carried out his meticulously planned rampage."
Rudakubana is facing life behind bars and is scheduled for sentencing on Thursday (January 23). The attack wasn't labelled a terrorist act due to the motive being unclear, and prosecutors still haven't reached any conclusions about why he did it other than the suspect having "a sickening and sustained interest in death and violence."
Swift issued a statement the day after the incident on her Instagram Story, writing, "These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families." She later invited two of the victims for a backstage meet-and-greet at one of her London Eras Tour concerts.