Ashley Woolley murder: Teenager charged over fatal stabbing
A 17-year-old youth has been charged with murder following the fatal stabbing of a man in an Essex park.
Ashley Woolley, 18, from Chelmsford, was attacked in the town's Oaklands Park at 15:15 GMT on Thursday.
The teenager appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court and was remanded in custody. He is due to appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday.
Police said he had also been charged with threatening a person with an offensive weapon in a public place.
A 19-year-old, from Maldon, also arrested in connection with the investigation, has been released from custody without charge.
Friends and family held a candlelight vigil for Mr Woolley by the park's gates on Friday night.
Paul Woolley, Ashley's brother, wrote on Facebook: "Thank you all for your kind words and support, Ashley would have been overwhelmed, it was nice to see how many hearts he touched in such a short space of time."
The family also said: "Ash's memorial looked so good at night, thank you for all of the support that everyone has shown to his dearest family and friends.
"It has helped make today a more positive day of remembering the life that Ash lived."
They added: "Ashley's amazing smile would light up any room that he came into and he leaves behind a loving family who have lost a part of them that can never be filled."
Charlotte Jones, his girlfriend of nearly eight months, told the BBC she spoke to Ash on the telephone about 10 minutes before the attack.
"He was a really nice boy, he loved to smile," she said.
"He touched so many people's lives it's nice that people are paying their respects to him and I wish he could see how many people cared about him... he was so kind, he was really nice."
He would have celebrated his 19th birthday on 30 December, she said.