A transgender cat killer will serve at least 24 years in a male jail for murdering a BMW engineer she randomly targeted as part of a warped sexual fantasy inspired by a Netflix documentary.
Scarlet Blake’s own defence lawyer admitted his client was so dangerous no parole board would ever feel it was safe to release her back into society.
The 26-year-old smashed a vodka bottle over Jorge Martin Carreno’s head, strangled him then pushed the Spaniard into Oxford’s River Cherwell, where he drowned.
Four months earlier, Blake had livestreamed herself killing a neighbour’s cat and placing its body in a blender.
Mr Carreno’s brother Gerardo told Oxford Crown Court his sibling’s life had been stolen by the twisted killer, adding: ‘It’s been sleepless nights and days. Going through the pain of losing a son and a brother is a challenge no family should face.’
His mother, Carmen, said the loss of her beloved son would leave ‘an open wound’ in the family.
A mugshot issued by Thames Valley Police of Scarlet Blake who was found guilty of murder
Scarlet Blake pictured in Intrusion nightclub in Oxford
BMW worker Mr Carreno (pictured) had been on a night out when he was approached by Blake
And Mr Carreno’s ex-girlfriend, Irene Hidalgo, described him as a pure soul who only had kind words and a wide smile for everyone.
Blake, whose parents are respected doctors, targeted the 30-year-old BMW worker as he walked home from a night out in Oxford on July 24, 2021 – the first Saturday night after Covid restrictions were eased.
She had been prowling the city’s streets wearing a military-style hooded jacket, and carrying a rucksack containing a ‘murder kit’ complete with a garrotte and leopard print dressing gown cord.
Her defence barrister Richard Sutton KC offered no mitigation on behalf of his client, admitting she would probably never be freed from prison.
He said: ‘One has to look at Ms Blake’s background and decide that she is in one sense a dangerous person. It is clear that no parole board will feel she is safe to go back into society.’
Months before the murder, Blake filmed herself dicing up a family cat after telling it: ‘I can’t wait to put you through the blender.’
In the horrific video, the New Order song True Faith can be heard. The court was told this was a homage to Netflix documentary Don’t F*** With Cats, about a man who kills kittens before filming the murder of a human victim.
She then boasted about killing the pet and spoke of her desire to ‘open up a person’.
A still image from a video issued by police of Scarlet Blake holding a cat head after killing it
Blake stalked and killed 30-year-old Jorge Martin Carreno (pictured) in July 2021
Scarlet Blake, pictured in August last year, was convicted at Oxford Crown Court
Blake got away with Mr Carreno’s murder for two years before her ex-partner Ashlynn Bell tipped off police.
She was convicted last week after a three-week trial. The judge also imposed concurrent two and four-month sentences relating to the killing of the cat.
A source confirmed Blake, who was given puberty blockers when she was 17 and started to received hormone treatment when she was 18, would serve her sentence in a male prison.
Jailing Blake, Mr Justice Chamberlain said he was sure the defendant had intended to kill Mr Carreno although he could not be sure of an exact method used.
He said: ‘It is not possible to say exactly how, whether you hit him on the back of his head with a vodka bottle or something else you had in your backpack, then strangled him by applying pressure to the blood vessels just beneath his jaw using your hands or ligature, then putting in the river where he drowned.
‘You may have held him down in the water while strangling him. Either way, you intended to kill him, and you did.
‘The decision to kill Jorge was not a reaction to something he had said or done – it was not a momentary mistake, it was not a decision made in anger or because your emotions overcame you.
Scarlet Blake being led to court for the start of her trial earlier this month
An image entitled ‘First date with me’ which showed pictures of duct tape, a knife, rope and a handgun had also been downloaded to the 25-year-old’s phone, the court has previously been told
‘It is the culmination of a plan you’ve been considering and formulating for months before, and after July 25 as you showed an obsession with harm and death.’
Prosecutors said Blake killed Mr Martin Carreno because she had a ‘fixation with violence and with knowing what it would be like to kill someone.
The victims murder came four months after Blake – who was obsessed with violence and death – live-streamed the sadistic killing of a cat, Oxford Crown Court heard.
She was given a four months sentence after admitting to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. The sentence will run concurrently.
Blake told the family pet: ‘Here we go my little friend. Oh boy, you smell like s**t. I can’t wait to put through the blender.’
After the violent killing, she dissected the animal, removed its fur and skin, and placed its body in a blender.
During the trial, the prosecution said Blake had got sexual gratification from violence and killings.
The court heard Mr Martin Carreno had been out with work colleagues in Oxford city centre and was trying to get home when Blake found him sitting down in the street.
The court heard Blake had an ‘extreme interest in death and in harm’ and killed the family pet after watching the Netflix documentary ‘Don’t F*** With Cats: Hunting An Internet Killer’
In the show, a man films himself putting two kittens in a translucent plastic storage bag before he switched on a vacuum cleaner and sucked out all the air
CCTV footage shows Scarlet Blakes movements on the night she killed Mr Carreno
She was captured on CCTV prowling the streets of Oxford looking for a victim, wearing a heavy military-style hooded jacket, face mask and carrying a rucksack.
Prosecutors suggested she was carrying a ‘murder kit’ in her rucksack, including a garrotte and leopard print dressing gown cord, which she rejected.
Giving evidence, Blake denied she was looking for a victim that night and instead had gone for a walk because she could not sleep.
She said she walked with Mr Martin Carreno to Parsons Pleasure and when she left to go home he was still alive.
‘I don’t know how he died. I assumed he drowned. It wasn’t something I did. As to how, I still don’t know, I wasn’t there,’ she told the jury.
The court heard Blake confessed to former partner Ashlynn Bell (pictured), who lives in the US, that she had killed him with a homemade garrotte before throwing his body in the water
It was suggested Mr Martin Carreno may have taken his own life, but any hint he was suicidal was rejected by his friends.
An empty bottle of vodka was found in the river and the bottle top was nearby on the bank, which had traces of the defendant’s DNA on it.
Home Office pathologist Dr Brett Lockyer said he did not believe it likely the Spanish national could have died accidentally.
During her evidence Blake claimed she had a fragmented personality, which included being a cat, and meowed at the jury to show how she would interact with friends.
‘There’s a part that is just a cat, which is strange and that seems to me what the happy part of me is. In that they come out when I am happy,’ she said.
‘With friends I know quite well, who are aware of this part of me, I meow at them in greeting.
‘It is quite strange, it is very prominent when I am expressing certain emotions.
‘For example, the cat has a pretty strong association with joy, and I suppose the innate goodness. It is a kind of childhood innocence.’
Chilling CCTV shows Blake walking the streets of Oxford city centre looking for a victim
Alison Morgan KC, prosecuting, told the jury: ‘He died because he encountered the defendant on that night’
Blake sat impassively in the dock as Mr Martin Carreno’s brother Geraldo read out a victim impact statement ahead of the sentencing.
The grieving brother told the court: [There is no remorse for her actions and makes even more difficult to process the barbarity. We miss him every day and thinking about his life if he had not met Blake that night.’
Geraldo said the death of their brother had shattered the family, adding: ‘We were born together, we were best friends.
‘He was always spreading joy with a great sense of humour and above all an incredibly good person. A life full of love.
Geraldo added: ‘Jorge Carreno is the victim. For us, he is a son and brother, we share a unique bond. We are triplets, born together, live together, we are best friends.
‘With his caring and friendly nature he was always spreading joy. His great sense of humour and joy of life.
‘He was known for his incredible affection. He was always ready to help. He was an incredibly good person. His life was full of love.
‘He studied electrical engineering where his passion was evident, he dreamed of a future where he could make a difference.
‘Going through the pain of losing a son and a brother is a challenge no family should face. His life was stolen by Scarlet. The last two years have felt like an eternity. It’s been sleepless nights and days.
‘We ask you to understand the full extent of our loss. We hope the justice served today with reflect the loss we’ve suffered.
A still image from a clip issued by Thames Valley Police of Scarlet Blake in a cat killing video
Video showed Mr Carreno trying to find his way home, not realising he had dropped his wallet
Witness Ashlynn Bell told police that she was too mentally damaged to give evidence in court
Prosecutors say Blake had a fetish for strangulation and was obsessed with violence and death. Jurors were previously shown a collage of nine female killers that was saved on Blake’s phone
‘Scarlet Blake has no remorse, making it more difficult for us to process. Knowing she has taken the life of Jorge for her own sexual conviction. It’s difficult to know. It was chilling to hear her in this court, her lack of empathy is evident.’
The victim’s grieving mother Carmen read out her impact statement in Spanish, which was translated in the courtroom by an interpreter.
She said: ‘We wish to pay tribute to our beloved son and brother. An exceptional child with his friendliness and ability to give himself to others.
‘He dreamed of a future where he will make a difference. His sense of humour filled every space and with his caring nature lit up any place with his contagious curiosity.
‘Jorge was above all an incredibly good person. His loss an open wound in his family. His loss has left a void impossible to fill. We have a deep wound in our hearts with his life stolen.’
She continued: ‘There can be no peace until justice is served and Jorge will always be present in our hearts.’
Sick picture captures moment trans killer puts cat in a blender before carrying out twisted murder which bares harrowing similarities to Luka Magnotta’s real-life crime
A sick picture captures transgender killer Scarlet Blake relishing the moment she puts a cat in a blender before carrying out a twisted murder in a chilling echo of a Netflix true crime documentary.
Blake, 26, live-streamed the killing and dissection of a cat four months before she targeted Jorge Martin Carreno, 30, as he walked home from a night out in Oxford in July 2021.
She had admitted dissecting the animal, removing the fur and skin and placing it in a blender but blames her former partner Ashlynn Bell.
The court previously 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.
Prosecutors had alleged the cat killing was relevant to the murder trial as it shows Blake has a ‘disturbing interest in what it would be like to harm a living creature’.
Blake deliberately set out to kill after previously revelling in the slaughter and dissection of a neighbour’s cat.
While her death obsessed partner Bell watched from her home in the US, Blake live streamed cutting up the cat while it was still alive.
A vet determined it would have been in extreme pain until its heart was ripped out.
Police would later find the heart in a trinket box that Blake kept as a souvenir.
It was only after Blake’s arrest in August 2023 they discovered the cat killing video and her fetish for strangulation and they launched Operation Ingmar.