Treehouse Murder of Brandon Chicklis

A woman who asserted self-defense after fatally stabbing her ex-boyfriend and abandoning his body on the roadside has been convicted of second-degree murder and is facing a potential life sentence.
On Monday, Julia Enright, 24, was found guilty of the brutal killing of Brandon Chicklis, 20, which occurred on June 23, 2018, as reported by Telegram & Gazette. Enright, a phlebotomist with a side profession as a dominatrix, enticed Chicklis into a treehouse equipped with restraints before fatally stabbing him.

Initially, Enright contended that she acted in self-defense following a sexual assault by Chicklis. However, prosecutors maintained that the murder was premeditated, citing Enright's unsettling interests and her fascination with blood as evidence to bolster their argument.

Throughout the 11-day trial, jurors concluded that the prosecution had not sufficiently demonstrated that the murder was premeditated, leading to Enright's conviction for second-degree murder rather than first-degree. Had they determined that Enright acted in self-defense, Massachusetts law would have required a verdict of not guilty.