TikTok: Murder Gone Viral series 2: what happened to Charlie Cosser? Full details
TikTok: Murder Gone Viral has returned for a second series
- ITV’s TikTok: Murder Gone Viral is back.
- The award-winning series is returning for three episodes.
- But which cases will feature in 2025?
A must-watch true-crime series about murder cases that went viral on social media is back. ITV’s TikTok: Murder Gone Viral will be tackling three new tragic real-life stories over the coming weeks.
The timely series will feature three cases in which teenagers were both the victims and the perpetrators. The broadcaster says the programme will explore what pushed these young people to murder other young people in such a violent way, and why.
But which cases will be featured in series 2? Here’s all you need to know:
What time is TikTok: Murder Gone Viral on TV?
The show will return for its second series this evening (October 21) on ITV1/ STV. TikTok: Murder Gone Viral will start at 9pm this evening and the first episode will run for around an hour.
The full boxset of series 2 - as well as the previous episodes from season 1 - is already available to watch on ITVX/ STV Player. It includes all three episodes.
Which cases feature in series 2?
Episode One is about the murder of young amateur footballer Charlie Cosser from Milford in Surrey, the second recounts the killing of American cheerleader Tristyn Bailey and the third explores the death of a British transgender teenager Brianna Ghey from Warrington.
In Charlie Cosser’s case, TikTok was the platform his father Martin used to pour out his grief in real time. Like many teenagers, Tristyn Bailey loved posting on the platform, and when she went missing, her case went viral. Brianna Ghey was a popular TikTok influencer, with a growing following.
The parents of these teenage victims have turned their terrible pain into positive action, campaigning in the hope they can prevent similar crimes in the future and stop others from suffering in the way that they and their children have done.
What happened to Charlie Cosser?
The murder of 17-year-old Charlie Cosser in July 2023 shocked communities across Surrey and Sussex and later became one of the UK’s most discussed teenage crime cases, not only because of the brutal nature of the attack but also because of the way the tragedy unfolded online.
Charlie, from Milford in Surrey, was attending a marquee party known as “BalFest”, at a farmhouse in Warnham, West Sussex. The event had drawn more than a hundred young people.
During the evening, tensions flared after repeated complaints about the behaviour of 16-year-old Yura Varybrus, from a young woman. He and his friends were asked to leave the party by a group that included Charlie Cosser.
A fight broke out soon afterwards, during which Varybrus stabbed 17-year-old Charlie three times in the chest with a knife. Charlie suffered catastrophic injuries, including a cut to a major artery that caused internal bleeding and cardiac arrest.
Despite being rushed to hospital, he died two days later.
How long was Yura Varybrus jailed for?
Yura Varybrus was arrested and initially pleaded guilty, but was given permission to change his guilty plea to not guilty, forcing the family through a lengthy murder trial. Witnesses told the court they saw Varybrus “drenched in blood” after the attack, and one recalled hearing him admit, “I’ve stabbed someone.”
He was also seen changing the settings on his mobile phone, which detectives believe was to tamper with evidence of his location. Varybrus travelled home with a female friend and then burned his clothes in her back garden.
The murder weapon was never recovered, but the evidence presented at Brighton Crown Court in June 2024 was overwhelming. Varybrus was convicted of murder and possession of a bladed article and raised his fist to his father as he left court.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of sixteen years. Because Yura Varybrus was under eighteen at the time of the killing, reporting restrictions initially protected his identity, but the judge lifted these after conviction, allowing the press to publish his name.
What is Charlie’s Promise?
Charlie’s father, Martin Cosser, took to TikTok in the immediate aftermath of his son’s death, using it as an outlet for grief. His videos, raw, visceral and emotional, reached millions of viewers and created a sense of collective mourning beyond the family’s immediate community.
For many, TikTok became a space not only to follow updates about the case but also to reflect on the wider crisis of knife crime among young people in the UK. The platform enabled friends, family, and strangers alike to share their responses, but it also highlighted how quickly cases of this kind can become public narratives, shaped in real time by social media commentary.
In the wake of the tragedy, Charlie’s family channelled their grief into activism, setting up the charity Charlie’s Promise. The organisation seeks to educate young people about the dangers of knife crime, campaign for prevention, and honour Charlie’s memory.
For the family, TikTok and similar platforms remain both a means of remembrance and a tool for advocacy. The case is seen as an example of how youth violence, justice, grief, and media intersect in the digital age.
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