Teenage killers caught on CCTV celebrating after murdering 18-year-old Jack Norton in Walsall

Shocking CCTV shows two teenage killers celebrating in the street after stabbing an 18-year-old to death in a "savage and unprovoked attack".

Brandon Price, 19, and a 15-year-old boy, who cannot be named, murdered Jack Norton in front of two female friends on December 7 last year.

A court heard the pair "whooped with excitement" after Price plunged a blade into Jack's chest at a park in Darlaston, Walsall in the West Midlands. Despite emergency surgery at the scene, Jack died from a stab wound to his heart and the motive for the brutal attack remains unknown.

Price and the youth were on Thursday (November 23) found guilty of murder following a trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court. The teenagers, both from Walsall, are facing life in prison and will be sentenced on January 5.

The court was told Jack had spent the day with two female friends and all three were walking along Franchise Street when the defendants stopped to talk to them. All five walked into Cook Street and onto a grassy field, known locally as Cookie Park, where the younger boy became aggressive towards Jack. He started threatening Jack, saying he wanted to slash him, set him on fire and run him over, which worried Jack and made him want to leave, the court was told.

Jack then indicated to his friends that they needed to go and one of the girls suggested he should walk her home. But as Jack went to fist-bump Price in farewell, he swung at him with a knife "without warning", striking him several times.

Price and his friend then ran from the park laughing as the two girls screamed for help and called 999. The killers were caught on CCTV running down Cook Street re-enacting the stabbing, excitedly celebrating and dumping the knife in a drain. One of them was also heard saying: "You didn't think we'd do it - we've done it, we've done it".

Detectives arrested both defendants within days of the murder and found traces of Jack’s blood on clothing they had worn that night. During the trial, Price claimed he had acted in self-defence, whilst the teen admitted being present, but denied being involved. The jury found them both guilty of murder after the court heard the younger defendant had "egged on" Price.

Detective Chief Inspector Hannah Whitehouse, from West Midlands Police's homicide unit, said: “This was a totally unprovoked yet premeditated attack on a defenceless teen, who was simply hanging out with his friends. His family still don’t know why he was targeted and this just adds to their distress and the injustice of his loss. I hope that the conviction of his killers gives them some peace as they continue to grieve.”

Det Chief Insp Whitehouse also, when speaking to NationalWorld.com's sister title the Express and Star, explained how the CCTV was of vital importance in the police inquiry. "In this case the CCTV was critical to getting a conviction and we simply could not do it without the cooperation of the general public," she said. "The camera on the exit of the park also had audio, a detective listened to it and the two can be heard whooping and saying the words 'kill, kill kill'. This was shown the jury. We do not know which of the two said those words but we know one of them said it. A detective listened to it using technology which made it the best audible possible.

"They could also be seen putting something down a drain, which turned out to be the murder weapon, and which officers recovered. The knife had Jack's DNA on. They then can been acting out the attack and seem to be celebrating what they have done."

And the senior police officer also praised the local community for trying to help the stricken stabbing victim in a field in Cook Street off Franchise Street, Darlaston, on December 7 last year, and for giving detectives their doorbell camera footage.

She said: "What struck me when Jack was stabbed when his friends called for help the people who lived at the back of Cookie Park came out and tried to save his life. There are good people out there. Sadly in this case Jack could not be saved."