Social media messages exchanged before fatal stabbing revealed

Defendant, and victim, both made threats to kill each other

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A warning that this story contains information which some readers may find distressing.

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Messages exchanged by two teenage boys in the hours before one was fatally stabbed have been shown, and played, to a jury today (30 September).

Fourteen-year-old Christopher McBurnie, from Castletown, died on 29 May last year in Ramsey.

The teenager accused of his murder, who is now 15, is standing trial at Douglas Courthouse.

The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons due to his age, denies the charge against him.

Snapchat

Jurors were provided with some of the communication which took place - predominantly over the social media platform Snapchat - between the two boys and a wider circle of teenagers.

It showed them trading insults and organising a ‘one-on-one’ fight at the defendant’s home despite Christopher and the defendant never having met in person before.

Messages were sent late in the evening on 28 May and into the early hours of the following day.

The defendant appeared to initially message Christopher calling him a ‘maggot’ and telling him: “Come Ramsey tmr (tomorrow).”

In response Christopher suggests the fight should take place in Douglas instead saying it would be ‘half-way for the both of us.’

The jury was provided with typed correspondence and a selection of voice notes - sent by Christopher, the defendant and other teenagers in a group chat - were played in court.

“I’ll kill you”

In the early hours of 29 May the defendant repeatedly invites Christopher to his hometown, calling him a ‘bad verbalist’ and telling him: “Come Ramsey, I will f***ing kill you mate.”

In response Christopher replies: “You won’t do a f***ing thing.”

In a voice note sent to a female friend Christopher is heard saying: “He’s too scared he’s gonna get jumped and I said fair on one-on-one which I do want. I’ll have a one-on-one. I don’t jump people.”

He replies to the defendant saying: “Lad I’ve been saying let’s settle it. Come f***ing Douglas and have a straightener you little b****h.”

In another message to the defendant Christopher replies: “I will f***ing smash your teeth in,” with the defendant replying: “You won’t do anything mate. I’ll f***ing kill you.”

Group Chat

A group chat was created by Christopher at 12.50am on 29 May which included the defendant.

Again, he challenges Christopher to come to Ramsey telling him: “Making a group chat is embarrassing by the way.”

Christopher replies by voice note saying: “I’ll still have a fair one on one with you. Just because I made a group chat doesn’t mean that you’re getting jumped.”

The defendant replies saying: “You won’t do f**k all bro. Come Ramsey, I’ll do your face in.”

He sends his address and postcode to the group with a message simply saying: "Come".

More messages are exchanged and Christopher replies by voice note to the group saying: “Mate, we’ll batter you in your own gaff.”

In response the defendant says: “You won’t do f**k all.”

Christopher responds: “Just leave it yeah. Just say you’re a b***h and I’ll leave you alone.”

The defendant replies: “I’ll come out as soon as I see you kid.”

‘Come Ramsey’

Just before 10am, on 29 May 2025, the defendant messaged the Snapchat group chat saying: “better come today” and accusing Christopher of ‘flapping it’.

At 12.34pm Christopher tells the defendant: “I will f***ing take your head off mate.”

The defendant responds by saying: “I’ll f***ing kill ya if you come to my house.”

Christopher replies by saying: “Lad, shut the f**k up. You’re not going to do anything.”

At 12.43pm Christopher confirms he is ‘getting changed’ with the defendant replying: “I f***ing know you won’t come. If you do, I’m killing you.”

In response Christopher replies: “I swear down on my mum’s life you are going to f***ing die.”

He then adds: “I’m coming up Ramsey and your teeth are getting smashed in.”

In a separate conversation a friend of Christopher’s says he wants to go to the fair, instead of Ramsey, with Christopher replying that if they don’t go ‘they’re going to call us pussies’.

“My door’s open”

At 1.11pm, on 29 May, Christopher reveals over social media that he’s going to the bus stop and at 1.17pm sends a picture of himself sitting at the shelter.

He then messages another friend saying: “Yo am going Ramsey. Do you reckon X (the defendant) will actually show up?”

A further message from the defendant is sent to the group which reads: “Mr door’s open waiting for you lot.”

Christopher arrived in Ramsey, after taking two buses, accompanied by two friends at 3.13pm.

They met with five others and the nine teenagers walked to the defendant’s home; on the way one of the teenagers made two video calls to the defendant which were both answered.  

Christoper was stabbed at 3.24pm.

He was pronounced dead at the scene at 4.04pm.

Defence

The jury has already been told the defendant will argue that he was acting in self-defence when he stabbed Christopher.

Today his defence advocate Siobhan Grey KC provided the jury with additional messages to consider as part of their deliberations.

She explained that the messages put forward by the prosecution weren’t a complete picture of the communication which had taken place between the teenagers in the run-up to the stabbing.

She also told the jury that the initial exchange between Christopher and the defendant, on 28 May, had started on TikTok Live.

However the data from the exchange was unable to be recovered by police.

The jury was also told earlier today that the defendant had no previous criminal convictions, cautions, reprimands or warnings.

Trial

The juvenile defendant denies the charge of murder.

The trial is due to continue tomorrow (1 October).