Two 14-year-old boys convicted of teenage girl's rape and murder

Two 14-year-old boys have been convicted of assaulting, raping and murdering Ana Kriegel, also 14, in Dublin, Ireland, report BBC, Evening Standard and The Guardian.

The boys, identified as Boy A and Boy B due to their ages, were 13 when they committed the murder on May 14 2018. Kriegel's body was found at an abandoned house, after a three-day search. 

Former state pathologist Marie Cassidy identified 50 injuries on her head and body, as well as evidence of sexual assault, after finding the semen of Boy A. The court heard that Kriegel's desire to make friends and belong led to her death.

On the evening of her murder, she left her home with Boy B, whom she thought was taking her to visit a boy in whom she had an interest. Their 30-minute journey led them to an abandoned house, where Boy A was waiting.

Boy A assaulted, raped and murdered Kriegel as Boy B watched. Just under an hour later, Geraldine Kriegel, Ana's mother, became concerned about her whereabouts and began searching for her. 

Boy A denied any involvement in the murder, but evidence presented at the Dublin Central Criminal Court suggested he had been at the scene of the crime - his boots, among other items found at his house, had Kriegel's blood on them. 

Legal representatives of Boy B claimed he had been set up by his co-accused, Later, however, he admitted that he was with the victim at the house, but left when Boy A started raping her. The parents of both boys and those of Kriegel were present for judgment after the six-week trial. 

The boys' mothers wept as they watched their sons being taken away by the police, while Boy B's father shouted that "an innocent child is going to prison".