Scarlet Blake: Woman who killed cat found guilty of murdering man as he walked home from night out

A woman who killed a cat in a blender has been found guilty of murdering a man as he walked home from a night out in Oxford.

Scarlet Blake, 26, killed Jorge Martin Carreno, 30, in July 2021, a jury at Oxford Crown Court found on Friday. He was found dead in the River Cherwell at Parson’s Pleasure having drowned after receiving a blow to the back of his head and being strangled.

Martin Carreno’s death came four months after Blake, who is transgender, live-streamed the killing and dissection of a cat. She admitted dissecting the animal, removing the fur and skin and placing it in a blender but blamed her former partner, Ashlynn Bell.

The trial heard Blake had an “extreme interest in death and in harm” and killed the family pet after watching a Netflix documentary called Don’t F*** With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer. In the programme a man, Luka Magnotta, kills kittens before filming a murder.

Livestreaming her actions with the song “True Faith” by New Order playing in the background, Blake could be heard saying: “Here we go my little friend. Oh boy, you smell like shit. I can’t wait to put through the blender.”

Prosecutors alleged the cat killing was relevant to the murder trial as it showed Blake has a “disturbing interest in what it would be like to harm a living creature”.

Jurors also saw videos of the defendant and her partner engaging in consensual strangulation with ligatures.

Martin Carreno, a BMW worker, had been on a night out with work colleagues in Oxford city centre before he died.

CCTV footage shows Blake – wearing a heavy-duty coat, face mask and carrying a backpack – walking around the city centre before approaching Martin Carreno, who was sitting down. Inside her bag, she was carrying a “murder kit” which included a garrotte and leopard-print dressing gown cord, as well as a vodka bottle.

After a short while, they went together to the secluded Parson’s Pleasure area, where Blake killed Martin Carreno with a blow to the head, before strangling and drowning him.

Blake had said Martin Carreno was alive when she left him there to walk home.

The defendant told jurors she had falsely confessed to murdering Martin Carreno to her partner because Ms Bell, who lives in the US, had wanted her to kill a person after the cat incident.

Referring to the alleged confession, Blake told the jury she had seen news reports of the body being found and created a fictitious story.

“I told Ashlynn that I killed that person, I made up the details in a dramatic way,” she said. “I told her I used a garrotte that I made to try and remove the person’s head but it was more difficult than I would have imagined and then I dumped the body in the river which is what they are now pulling out.”

During her evidence, Blake also claimed she had a fragmented personality, which included being a cat, and meowed at the jury to show how she would interact with friends.

Jurors in the murder trial went out to consider their verdict on Thursday afternoon and came back to convict Blake 24 hours later.

In a statement issued by Thames Valley Police after the verdict on Friday, Martin Carreno’s family paid tribute to their loved one.

“The loss of Jorge has left an open wound in the heart of his family but also in all those who had the pleasure of knowing him,” they said.

“This loss feels like a traumatic, devastating blow, leaving a void impossible to fill. Going through the pain of losing a son, a brother, under such tragic and unjustified circumstances, is a trial no family should face.

“Today his absence leaves a deep wound in our hearts. His life was stolen, cutting short his projects and dreams. This tribute is a reminder of Jorge but also a call to justice. There can be no peace until justice is served.

“We ask not only for justice for him but also for protection to prevent other people, other families, from suffering the immense pain caused by such cruel and senseless murders. We extend our heartfelt thanks for the incredible support from family, friends, the police, and our lawyers during this tough time.”

Detective Superintendent Jon Capps, the senior investigating officer, said: “Today’s verdict marks the end of a long and complex investigation. I know that many will want to focus on the actions and behaviour of this defendant.

“There are several aspects of this case that have been truly disturbing to see, hear and deal with. This defendant showed calculated cruelty. The acts Blake has been convicted of are barbaric and chilling. The murder was premeditated with total disregard and distain for life.

“Thankfully crimes such as these are incredibly rare.

“I want rather to focus on Jorge and his family and pay tribute to them and the enormous dignity they have shown throughout this ordeal. They have put their trust in my team. I cannot begin to imagine the pain they feel.

“As the evidence has developed they have had to try to come to terms with this not only being a murder, but the nature and character of this defendant, something that I know has served only to compound the grief they feel.

“There can be no beginning to understanding this senseless act.”