No Mercy for Monsters: The Fight to Keep Sasha Marsden’s Sadistic Killer Behind Bars for Life

In 2013, 23 year old David Minto lured 16 year old Sasha Marsden to her death under the false promise of securing her a job at his girlfriend's workplace, the Grafton House Hotel.  

The attack he inflicted was so brutal, and his attempts to conceal his crime so extreme, that Sasha’s identity had to be confirmed using DNA from her toothbrush.  

During sentencing, Judge Anthony Russell QC described the murder as a "ferocious and sustained attack," emphasising the "overwhelming evidence" against Minto.  

Minto launched a relentless assault, stabbing Sasha 58 times—48 of those wounds were to the back of her head and neck, causing catastrophic blood loss. By the time her body was recovered, there was no blood left in her.  

Prosecutor Peter Wright QC detailed the deep, penetrating knife wounds, noting that Sasha suffered numerous cuts to her fingers, hands, and forearms—classic defensive wounds. She had fought desperately to save her life.  

Sasha’s sister later revealed that her blood smeared fingerprint was found on the front door lock—a chilling mark of her final struggle to escape the same doorway she had entered full of hope for a new beginning, devastatingly became the threshold of her brutal execution.

After Sasha collapsed from her injuries, Minto dragged her by the legs down to the basement. There, he placed her lifeless body in the bath and proceeded to rape her multiple times—both vaginally and anally.  

Stealing her life wasn’t enough. He also had to rob her of her dignity in death too. After such unspeakable violence, he subjected her to one final act of degradation—violating her body, reducing her to nothing more than an object for his twisted pleasure.  

He discarded her with the same callousness he had killed her. Wrapping her in bedding and leftover underlay from hotel renovations, he placed her in a wheelie bin, rolled it into an alley behind the hotel, and dumped her. Then, as if his actions weren’t monstrous enough, he doused her genitals in an accelerant and set her body on fire.  

Minto immediately began covering his tracks. He used Sasha’s phone to send a message to her boyfriend’s father—mistakenly assuming it was her own dad—asking to be picked up. The message failed to send. When Sasha’s worried parents accessed her Facebook account, they found the hotel's address and rushed to find her.  

When they arrived, Minto tried to deceive them, claiming Sasha had already left with her father. His lie crumbled when Sasha’s mother revealed that her husband had driven them there.  

In court, Minto made desperate attempts to explain away the evidence, claiming Sasha had a “nosebleed” and even suggesting she had “come on” to him.  

Thankfully, the jury saw through his lies. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison.  

Why is this case being revisited now? Because Sasha’s sister, Katie Brett, is fighting to ensure Minto remains behind bars for life. She argues that if he is released at 57, he will still have the chance to rebuild a life—something he mercilessly stole from Sasha. 

Katie is determined to prevent that from happening. She believes that justice should not allow a man who committed such a horrific crime to ever walk free. In her view, releasing Minto would not only be a betrayal of Sasha’s memory but also a grave danger to society.

There is further evidence suggesting that Sasha was not his first victim—but his third. If that is true, it means Minto has a history of violence that went unchecked until Sasha’s murder. Katie fears that if he is ever released, his next victim may not even be born yet.

She is now appealing for public support, gathering signatures to ensure that Minto remains behind bars for the rest of his life. She argues that a 35 year sentence is not enough for someone who has proven to be capable of such extreme brutality.

The fight for justice is not just about Sasha—it is about preventing future victims. Katie’s message is clear: A man like David Minto does not deserve a second chance. After all, Sasha never got one.

If you believe predators like Minto should never walk free, stand with Katie by signing this petition-like I did-. Justice isn’t about serving time—it’s about making sure no more innocent lives are stolen or destroyed.