THREE teenagers accused of stabbing a schoolgirl to death in the street have appeared in court charged with murder.
Chloe Watson, 16, is understood to have been knifed in the back after a party in Leeds, West Yorkshire, in the early hours on Saturday.
Officers discovered the teenager, from the Cleckheaton area, with serious injuries in the middle of the street in Austhorpe just before 6am.
She was rushed to hospital where medical professionals sadly pronounced her dead a short time later.
Kayla Smith, 18, Archie Rycroft, 19, and a 17-year-old boy who cannot legally be named, have since been charged with murder.
They all came face-to-face with Chloe’s family as they appeared at Leeds Crown Court today.
Smith, wearing a black jacket and white top, appeared over a video link from HMP New Hall women’s prison.
Rycroft appeared from HMP Doncaster, while the unnamed teenager appeared from Wetherby young offender institute.
The court heard a “significant” amount of evidence relates to mobile phones.
No pleas were entered but a provisional trial set to last three weeks was scheduled for November.
The defendants will next appear at Leeds Crown Court for a plea and trial preparation hearing on May 1.
West Yorkshire Police said all three define their ethnicities as White British.
An 18-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder remains in custody.
A further 18-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl who were arrested on suspicion of murder have been released on bail pending further enquiries.
It comes after Chloe’s distraught mum paid tribute to her “beautiful princess”.
She wrote: “I cannot put into words how I feel that you are not here with me.
“You are my life, my world, my best friend and I know that I am yours. I cannot live without you – I need you.
“You are stunning, confident, loyal, honest and my family-oriented princess.
“When you walk into any room it lights up with your bubbly personality.
“There is so much I could say. There’s a big hole in my heart that can never be filled.
“Your two sisters and big brother will always love and miss you to infinity.
“You will always and forever be in our hearts. Love Mum, Connor, Courtney and Cienna.”
Her father’s family also issued a tribute in the wake of the killing describing their “immeasurable” heartache.
It read: “We miss every single thing about her. She was beautiful, full of joy, and had a wonderfully cheeky personality.
“She embraced life with such happiness, and she had her whole future ahead of her.
“Chloe was loved by everyone who knew her, and the absence she leaves behind is immeasurable.
“We will miss her forever, she will never be forgotten.”
A GoFundMe has since been set up by Chloe’s cousin Shantelle.
A local claimed Chloe was “stabbed in the back” on Saturday morning as other residents rallied around to try and save her.
The force is still looking to hear from people who could help with their investigation.
