Jury in Bristol finds defendants guilty of aiding murderers of Max Dixon and Mason Rist
The verdict concludes the trial of four people who helped killers evade the police
Last updated 15th Dec 2025
A jury has found a group of people guilty of offences relating to helping the killers of Max Dixon and Mason Rist evade capture.
Max, aged 16, and Mason, aged 15, were fatally stabbed in Knowle on 27th January 2024. The five killers were convicted last year and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Bristol Crown Court heard that in the hours following the attack, Jillian Tolliver, aged 51, arranged for Marcus Williams, aged 32, to transport her son, Riley Tolliver, out of Bristol. Riley Tolliver was taken to an address in Weston-super-Mare in an effort to hide from the police.
Dominic Smith and Ellie-Mae Maddocks, both aged 26, also helped the killers. They sheltered Kodishai Wescott and one of the other teenage offenders and then drove them to Weston-super-Mare, attempting to conceal them further.
Despite these efforts, all five murderers were arrested and charged within six days of Max and Mason's deaths.
Today (15th December), Smith and Maddocks were convicted of two charges of assisting offenders, while Marcus Williams and Jillian Tolliver were found guilty of one charge each. Jillian Tolliver was not deemed fit to stand trial and was judged on the facts of her involvement.
Families of Max Dixon and Mason Rist react
Following the verdict, Max’s mother Leanne Ekland described the result as a relief after enduring the trial.
“Finally, after four long weeks we have got a great result," Leanne said.
"I want to thank the jury who had the difficult decision to make but now we can hopefully start to focus on grieving our boys properly without the anxiety of facing anymore trials.
"I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved or anyone who had a role in Max and Mason’s case. We are nearly two years on, but I have continued to receive the support of many people throughout the past two years, they have given everything and more to bring these people to justice."
Mason’s sister Chloe Dore also shared her thoughts on the outcome:
“This is the best Christmas present we could have received.
“They tried to deny Mason and Max justice by helping their killers to evade police. I hope this will act as a reminder to those who wish to assist someone in a crime that there will be punishable consequences.”
Police statement
Detective Constable Matthew Cron, who worked on the case, praised the families of Max and Mason for their resilience through the trials.
“Max and Mason’s families have acted with exceptional patience, strength and composure throughout both the murder and assisting offenders’ trials," DC Cron said.
“This trial heard how the offenders sought to hide the boys’ killers from police in various ways. However, their efforts were in vain.
"It is my hope that these verdicts act as a message to all criminals and their associates. If you assist offenders in hiding from the police or destroying evidence, we will be relentless in finding you and bringing you to justice.”
The defendants are scheduled to return to Bristol Crown Court for sentencing on Friday 6th February.