A trans-identified male in Oxford is currently on trial after being charged with the murder of another man. Scarlet Blake, who was initially reported as being a “woman” by UK media outlets, is said to have murdered Spanish national, Jorge Martin Carreno, and tortured animals.
The jury has heard disturbing audio of Blake sadistically killing his neighbor’s cat and was shown evidence of his sick obsession with violence, pedophiles, and female serial killers. Blake is also said to have fantasized about killing his own parents for refusing to accept his transgender identity, and told a former partner, “I need blood, this is bad.”
The murder of Carreno took place during the early hours of July 25, 2021. Carreno, who worked for BMW and was on a night out with colleagues, suffered blows to his head, was strangled and then drowned in the River Cherwell. A murder investigation was not initially launched after his body was found on July 26 by dog walkers.
Police investigating the discovery did not rule out the possibility of an accident or suicide. However, they recovered CCTV video of Carreno with an unidentified person who police believe he didn’t know before that night. CCTV shows the unidentified suspect searching the streets alone before meeting Carreno, appearing to be on the hunt for a victim.
Scarlet Blake was not arrested for the murder until over two years later in August 2023 following a complex investigation by Thames Valley Police.
Following his arrest, the media began comparing the case to the Netflix documentary series “DON’T F*CK WITH CATS.”
The documentary focuses on the case of transvestite prostitute, Luka Magnotta, who began torturing cats and posting the videos online before escalating to murder. Magnotta drew inspiration for a horrific murder carried out during sexual intercourse from the film Basic Instinct, and reportedly had a fixation with the actress Sharon Stone — going so far as to paint the screwdriver he used as a murder weapon silver in order to resemble the pick axe used in the movie. Online, Magnotta had used the name “Catherine” as a reference to the character Stone portrayed.
The “porn star killer” Magnotta was tracked down in Berlin in 2012 following an international manhunt. Leading up to his arrest, authorities had warned that Magnotta may have disguised himself as a woman, that he frequently wore makeup and dresses, and that he had dyed his hair blonde.
The association between Blake’s crimes and the true crime documentary was made after it was uncovered that only months to the murder, Blake had filmed himself putting a cat in a blender. He reportedly discussed the documentary during a livestream of the brutal animal abuse, and told friends that he desired to kill people in the manner in which he killed cats.
Blake has denied having involvement in the murder of Carreno. He has, however, admitted to stealing his neighbor’s cat, torturing and dissecting it, and putting the animal in a blender. Prosecuting attorneys told Oxford Crown Court that a vet had determined the animal had suffered for a full three minutes or more as its heart was cut out while still alive. The judge told members of the jury that they would not be required to view the video footage.
During one audio excerpt a Blake can be heard saying: “My hands are shaking…I fucking love it…look at that little bitch, I’m pretty sure he’s still alive.”
Blake’s murder trial was launched early this month. The court heard how following the murder, Blake traveled to America to meet his then long-distance girlfriend, Ashlynn Bell, in Colorado. The pair reportedly got into an argument and Blake returned to the UK. After he returned, Bell contacted police to say he had confessed to killing a man. She told police Blake had claimed to have strangled Carreno from behind with a homemade garotte while they leaned against a tree.
During court proceedings, the prosecution showed the jury messages between Blake and Bell where she said he wanted to kill his parents. “I would murder my mum for you…I also want to kill my dad one day…maybe when they are old I can just put a respirator with pure nitrogen on their faces while they sleep.” The messages read. When cross examined, he said the messages were a ‘metaphor’ for them not immediately accepting him as transgender.
Detective Sergeant James Macro from Thames Valley Police reviewed messages exchanged between Bell and Blake.
Blake stated, “Fuck I need blood, what if I’m bipolar,” and “Bitch I kill people because my lover said it would be hot… Last time I found someone this drunk they died.”
Blake denied involvement in the murder, claiming the messages exchanged with Bell were “fantasy for sexual gratification.”
“In short, it’s a fantasy dress-up of saying I’m hurt by the way I was brought up and I’m sad about it,” Blake told the court.
“When I was 12 years old I came out as transgender. That has made my father really unhappy and my mother as well and that caused a very large emotional riff between us… I have a lot of unmet parenthood needs. I feel very forsaken, I suppose,” he continued.
“I always wanted to be a girl. I wasn’t until that age [12] that I realized there were procedures that could be done that would change me from male to female.” He then admitted to beginning taking testosterone blockers at the age of 17 and argued that his physical strength was that of an “unfit female”.
The jury also heard testimony from expert pathologist Dr. Brett Lockyer, who testified that Carreno had suffered a ‘blunt force trauma’ to the back of the head. Lockyer said a vodka bottle ‘used as a weapon’ would have caused the type of injury beneath the skull that he found when carrying out a post-mortem examination.
Financial records show Blake bought a bottle of vodka online prior to the alleged murder. A red bottle top from a Smirnoff vodka bottle was found on the riverbank by Carreno’s body and contained traces of DNA identified as belonging to Blake.
The court also heard how Blake had a sick obsession with violence and female serial killers. Images of nine serial killers were found on his phone, including women who had killed or were accused of killing their own children. The prosecutor, Alison Morgan KC painted a grim picture of Blake while describing his fascination for violence and death, and said he received “sexual gratification” from the graphic content in his possession.
“[Carreno] died because he met a person who had a fixation with violence and with knowing what it would feel like to kill someone.”
“At a time when Mr. Carreno became separated from friends and perhaps lost and vulnerable, Mr. Carreno had the great misfortune of being approached by this defendant in the early hours on July 25 2021.”
“The defendant was out on the streets of Oxford that night looking for a victim. [He] targeted him and took him to Parsons Pleasure, where [he] killed him, leaving his body to be discovered by others over 24 hours later.”
KC Alison Morgan explained that during the police investigation detectives had constructed a profile of Blake’s background. “The prosecution alleges that this defendant had an extreme interest in death and in harm,” she told the jury.
“It was an interest that went beyond mere fantasy. [He] described [himself] to others as being someone who derived sexual gratification from the thought of violence and the thought of death.”
Other images presented to the jury included a photo of handmade garotte fashioned from two metal handles and piano wire. Several other photographs depicted people being strangled. One image titled “First Date” had pictures of duct tape, a knife, rope and a handgun.
Footage recovered from Blake’s device showed him “with one of [his] partners engaging in acts of strangulation, consensually, in a sexualized context.”
Members of the jury were told that Blake “spoke to others about what it would be like to kill someone.”
“[He] looked at imagery and saved it on her devices that showed an interest in ligatures being applied around the neck. [He] talked about harming [himself].”
The trial is set to continue this week.