The childish Snapchat group that was the downfall of Cody Fisher's killers

With CCTV and witness accounts alone it may have been very difficult for investigators to establish exactly why footballer Cody Fisher was stabbed to death at a Birmingham nightclub on Boxing Day 2022. But one social media app provided a wealth of intelligence which exposed the motive and the childish mindset of the 23-year-old's killers - Snapchat.

Remy Gordon, aged 23, and Kami Carpenter, 22, were both in the group chat called Ravers Assemblers alongside co-accused Reegan Anderson, 19 - who was ultimately cleared of homicide - and numerous other individuals, supposedly including other footballers. The general topics of discussion included making arrangements to socialise, fighting, girls and playing Call of Duty.

But there was also another sinister theme which involved discussing the level of security at certain venues as well as knives. After a two-month trial the jury convicted Gordon, of Cofton Park Drive, Rednal, and Carpenter of Owens Croft, Kings Norton, of murder. Gordon was also found guilty of affray. Anderson was found not guilty of murder and manslaughter but found guilty of affray. Sentencing will take place at a later date.

READ MORE: Cody Fisher footage release: Popworld, Crane fight and takeaway aftermath

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During the trial at Birmingham Crown Court the jury was presented with more than 90 pages of text and audio transcripts from the defendants' social media communications, the bulk of which came from the Snapchat group. We have trawled through the jury bundle to detail some of the most significant exchanges that took place during the 48-hour period before the fatal attack on the dancefloor of Crane in Digbeth as well as during the aftermath.

The spellings and grammar - or lack of - are as they appear in the actual messages but we have joined some consecutive texts together to make them easier to read.

On the afternoon of Christmas Eve 2022 the group were discussing where they each intended to go out that night. After declaring his intention to go to a pub Gordon posted: "Make sure everyone got their shank."

Around two hours and countless more messages later, Carpenter posted a picture of himself holding a large knife with the caption 'Tryna figure out how to get this in the goose', in relation to The Goose pub in Selly Oak where he would ultimately spend the night.

Gordon replied 'it long' and 'they got metal wand', seemingly in reference to security measures. He himself went to Popworld in Solihull that night where he would have a seemingly innocuous initial confrontation with Mr Fisher. The court was told the defendant accused his friend Dan Vann of pushing before Mr Fisher allegedly intervened and said words to the effect of 'I'm not into this talking, let's take this outside'. There was a dispute about whether he swore or not.

'Due to shank him up'

Ultimately another man intervened and diffused the situation but later that night, in the early hours of Christmas Day, Gordon began to inform his Snapchat friends about the encounter. He found a picture of Mr Fisher and Mr Vann, with some other friends, and posted it to the group saying 'Who knows this likkle pip squeeze?', followed up by 'due to shank him up'.

In a series of audio messages Gordon ranted: "Night was goin bless yano. My man thinks he's bad. Posh yute. Heard the way he's talking but oh my gosh."

Around half an hour later he said: "I wish I'd shanked up that geeza earlier. Man you should of heard the way he was talking bruv f***ing... Raa I've seen him in better times than that you know, bopping around with his chain and that. Thinkins bad...... bruv."

Still posting after 4am Gordon continued: "Bro da way dese Solihull yutes was talkin in the club. He thinks he's superhero fam."

By 10.54am he still had not let it go: "If man see that white yute tomorrow. Beg someone knock him out and take his chain bruv. Cuban chain. Worth the knock out."

In an audio message Gordon went on: "Mans, yo, man ain't have to knock him out man can just put him in a headlock but I can't be doing with this talking and that he had a posh voice and that yoooo he thinks he's bad. Man said 'f*** that I'm not on this talking thing'. I looked at him thinking bro did that just really come out your mouth."

'If I see him from behind I feel like I should Judas him still'

He re-sent the same picture of Mr Fisher and Mr Vann to the group only this time marked up with arrows pointing at them. In further voice messages Gordon described one of them bumping into him.

He said: "I said bruv are you f***ing dumb bruv. Man told me 'what, what what's up, what you doin, what you doin?'. I said 'bruv who the f*** you pushing' and he said 'man ain't push ya man aint push ya'. I said 'man who else is behind me?'."

In reply to an apparent question about what he intended to do the next time he saw Mr Fisher, Gordon said: "Don't know still it depends, depends if he tries to say something like, I feel like I should slap him though like see him, if I see him, if I see him from behind I feel like I should Judas him still."

But he did then express his desire to 'chat to him before I even see him' because he knew mutual friends of Mr Fisher. The other significant exchange on Christmas Day came in the afternoon when there were three conversations occurring simultaneously in the group: one about an incident in The Goose the previous night, one about plans to go The Goose again and another about playing Call of Duty: Warzone.

'Need to go to the shank shop'

Anderson posted 'need to go to the shank shop' at a time when he accepted he was in Jimmy Spice's restaurant in Birmingham city centre drinking and celebrating his sister's birthday. He claimed at the same time he was playing Call of Duty on his phone with Gordon over the internet.

Anderson insisted the 'shank shop' was a reference to a shop on the game and denied he was talking about needing to buy a knife in real life before he went to The Goose pub again.

And so to Boxing Day, on what would be the day the fatal attack took place. In the afternoon Gordon and Carpenter appeared to be speaking directly on Snapchat about going to Crane and the fact people could wear masks and hats in the venue.

Carpenter then asked: "Can I get my shank in there? I can't even write fam, I f***ed up my knuckle that day bruz, don't know how fam."

Gordon replied: "Yh. Not that big ting tho. We can do a swap for the day if man want."

The pair continued to talk about wearing hats, masks or balaclavas after Carpenter expressed concerns his hair was grown out and messy. Then Gordon said he was 'rah looking to snuff someone' to which Carpenter replied 'ohhh, this is what I mean, why do even look to go out and start violence, n*****s'.

Gordon answered 'depends how he acts' and 'I'd never wana touch the geezer... I just, it depends on how his reaction is'. A little later when he was seemingly at Crane he said to Carpenter 'security is s***', 'got the one wand'. Later he messaged 'weak' and 'not even a metal detector'.

The next messages of significance came after Mr Fisher was attacked and fatally stabbed at 11.39pm. From 11.51pm Gordon sent a number of incoherent audio messages to the Snapchat group: 'f***ing hell', 'I don't know what happened... man. saw him (inaudible) ... judging by his throat (inaudible) kicked his head in (inaudible) what happened to them lot, think they got off'.

'If someone stab him.... dumb decision'

He continued: "Basically I had.... in a headlock (inaudible) in fact I think ... I looked at him and .... so ... looked at him (inaudible) and I didn't even know about that."

Some time after midnight Gordon and his friend Peter Reilly went to American Slice in Northfield, where Carpenter and others joined them. Around the same time the group discussed the fight and the rumours that Mr Fisher had died.

Gordon said to the group 'if someone stab him', 'dumb decision'. He then sent an audio message: "He's... he was knocked out cold bro, I don't know who knocked him out. I saw (inaudible) I saw (inaudible) after... I saw someone I don't know who it was and I saw something drop there, something just drop like flat."

Gordon and Carpenter then started to have direct communication via Telegram, an app where messages are encrypted. From around 3.40am of what was now December 27, Gordon engaged in a lengthy Snapchat conversation with Peter Reilly.

The defendant said 'The donny is saying. My man's gone. Bro. Kami need to hug dat'. They discussed meeting the next day before Gordon followed up with 'burn everything. If you can'. The pair continued to talk about the incident as they speculated whether CCTV may have captured anything.

'Of all man. How's it Kami'

Then Gordon said: "Of all man. How's it Kami. Dumb enough. To do that for no reason. I dunno why ud carry something like that."

Then in audio: "He. He needs to. I don't know what he's gonna do fam like."

Back to text: "The worst thing is. His left that on da scene. His got no option. But to hand himself in. Like. His left da main evidence. Can't even try buss nuen."

Mr Riley replied: "25 years. Thats coming out with grey hairs. Like no cap man coming out wenthere 50 id be thinking of suicide not gonna lie."

Gordon said: "Bro the only thing he can do is fly out and he aint,"

The conversation continued in the afternoon as Gordon said to Mr Reilly: "Bro my man can't be making next man go down for suen he done."

They both spoke about not being able to contact Carpenter before Gordon said: "Man gotta push him to hand himself in."

Mr Reilly replied: "Mans f****d up my hole life in 10seca."

Gordon: "Ur the only geezer that can make a full statement. Ur not on road. U don't have nuen to do with road.."

Mr Reilly: "I can't put man under the bus yjo. Tho."

Gordon: "His putting man under the bus. His talking bout flying to Jamaica. Like his gonna last out der forever."

Later he added: "Den his sayin he don't remember who he done it to or why. Dat ain't a excuse. That ain't even a situation. To do that. Wasn't in no sort of life threatening danger."

'It's still not making sense thing fam he's left the shank in a man'

At one stage Mr Reilly shared a social media post which apparently blamed Gordon for the stabbing. Gordon responded: "I rar dnt get why the finger getting pointed at man. "

The defendant stated that Carpenter was 'waiting to see what evidence they have on him' before he continued sending audio messages to Mr Reilly. He said: "It's still not making sense thing fam he's left the shank in a man. No other evidence needed. He left his shank and the cover. Only think left is CCTV. To pin point exactly who done it. Bro. I didn't know he had dat in der. Luckily. He never entered with man. So man can say we didn't know cos none of us rar knew."

Gordon continued: "The feds don't know who shanked him. Obvs people will say it's me. But ders no evidence. They just know a group of people. Could be any person out of da group. So if man hands him self in. Man could either get dropped off or they gonna try give man some sort of time but not like his ting."

Mr Reilly said: "Bro I dunno why he never jus let me chat to them."

Gordon: "Bro I dunno why he shanked dem. Never mind the chatting ting the shanking thing. That was way to far. Out of line. His not even that guy."

Mr Reilly: "Thats wat I mean I wudn't never think he had tht on him."

Gordon: "Rambo yano. Way to far. In a public place to."

He then spoke about Mr Reilly telling the police what happened. Gordon said: "I know man dnt want to but u got more to lose than everyone else ur a civilian to the public but if u do decide to go that route. Just make sure it gets pushed over towards my man cus rn looking like he tryna do us. Can't lie. Man just gotta hope the cctv comes out if der is."