Steven Miles, a teenager in England convicted of the brutal murder of his girlfriend, Elizabeth Thomas, has been sentenced to at least 25 years in prison.
Miles stabbed the 17-year-old Thomas in her back, and the rear of her head while the two were alone in his bedroom. The murder took place on Jan. 24, 2014, in the boy's home in Oxted, Surrey, England.
After she died, the 16-year-old killer dismembered her body, using tools his father owned for cutting and trimming trees. He wrapped her legs and one arm in plastic wrap, and disposed of the limbs in plastic trash bags. He then wrapped the young girl's torso and head in a sheet meant for gardening.
Miles, who told friends he has an alter-ego named Ed, has been also been diagnosed as autistic. He stated that it was this inner voice who ordered him to commit murder.
"Ed made me do something bad," the killer told his sister after she arrived home, roughly one hour after the murder.
"Dexter," a television series centered on a police forensics officer and serial killer, was a favorite of the real-life murderer. He was also obsessed with other dark, macabre subjects.
"You will see a lot of similarities in the personality of Dexter and myself," Miles texted to the future victim while the two were dating.
Miles was arrested in his home soon after the murder took place.
Notable psychologists called in to testify about the mental health of the defendant found the teenager, now 17 years old, does not suffer from schizophrenia, and did not qualify for reduced responsibility. Judge Christopher Critchlow sentenced Miles to life in prison, with a chance for parole after 25 years behind bars.
After the teenage boy began hearing voices and harming himself, in April 2012, his family signed him up for mental health services. The boy was discharged from treatment in October 2013, after psychologists deemed he had completed enough treatment to be released.
"Dexter" was broadcast from October 2006 to September 2013. It starred Michael C. Hall ("Six Feet Under") in the titular role.
Elizabeth was kind, caring and gentle, according to her family.
"This was a truly gruesome killing ripped from the pages of a hit TV script. The evidence points to the defendant trying to emulate the actions of the character Dexter, who he idolized. The case is a sad testament to the perils of how young people can become entrenched in modern TV blockbusters involving violence which, shockingly, led to a copy-cat killing in real life," Lewis Power, from the team defending Miles, said.
