Brianna Ghey was a 16-year-old transgender girl and a Year 11 pupil at Birchwood Community High School. Her parents described her as "a larger-than-life character who would leave a lasting impression on all that met her". According to her friends, Ghey would often help younger trans girls safely and legally access hormone replacement therapy. They also said she had faced years of transphobic harassment and bullying before she was killed, including at school, a part of which was being repeatedly "gang beaten".
In addition to being a student, Ghey was also a TikToker under the username @gingerpuppyx, with her number of followers variously reported as 11,000, 31,000 and 63,000. On TikTok, she was known for miming and dancing to popular songs. One of her final TikToks said that she was "excluded from school". After her death, her TikTok account was deleted.
On the afternoon of 11 February 2023, Ghey was found with multiple stab wounds on a path in Culcheth Linear Park by members of the public. Emergency services were called at 3:13 p.m. and she was pronounced dead at the scene. A Home Office postmortem has been ordered to determine the cause of death. On 15 February 2023, prosecutor Leanne Gallagher said the attack on Ghey was "extremely brutal and punishing".
On 8 March 2023, an inquest into Ghey's death was opened at Warrington Coroner's Court, and subsequently adjourned until after the trial. A pre-inquest hearing is scheduled for 17 August 2023.
Ghey's funeral was held at St Elphin's Church, Warrington on 15 March 2023.
Ghey's death prompted responses from her family, local community, politicians, charities, activists, and musicians. Ghey's family said her death had "left a massive hole in our family". Emma Mills, headteacher of Birchwood Community High School said: "We are shocked and truly devastated to hear of the death of Brianna." A parent of one of Ghey's friends, speaking with the Daily Mail, alleged that the killing was a hate crime.
The Miami Herald reported that thousands in the LGBTQ community and users of social media were grieving over the stabbing death of Ghey. LGBTQ rights charity Stonewall and transgender youth charity Mermaids expressed sympathy for Ghey's family. Transgender community helplines reported large increases in calls soon after Ghey's death, with topics concerning "transphobia, gender identity and hate crimes".
A report by NBC News on the killing concluded that "the climate in the U.K. has grown increasingly hostile for trans people over the last few years", noting that the BBC had recently published the article "We're being pressured into sex by some trans women", which was accused of "[painting] all transgender women as sexual predators". American magazine Vogue connected the killing to online transphobia, writing that "there's a near-constant questioning of trans rights that reinforces the idea that trans men and women are trying to fool us, to trick us, that their deeply personal gender identity is an affront to the status quo and how we live."
A GoFundMe page for Brianna’s parents described Ghey as an “outgoing, confident girl” and added: “She brought a lot of laughter to those who knew her. She was looking forward to taking her exams this year and beginning her journey into the adult world.”