The following article looks at the true crime story of a friendship that would end in horror. 16-year-old Gabrielle “Britney” Ujlaky was raped and murdered by her friend Bryce Dickey, 20, in March 2020.
The two had been friends and had met through the local rodeo community. Dickey would be publicly upset about the death of Gabrielle, mourning her on social media after her body had been found.
However, it would not take investigators long to begin to question him about the tragedy, leading to his arrest and eventual conviction.
Dickey, from Nevada, was found guilty of first-degree murder and sexual assault with a deadly weapon. The Elko Daily Free Press would report that the jury in Elko District Court unanimously voted to convict him of all charges.
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The week-long trial led to a four-hour period of deliberation before a conclusion was reached.
This disturbing article will provide some background on the case, as we explore the murder of Gabrielle “Britney” Ujlaky.
Who was Gabrielle “Britney” Ujlaky?
Gabrielle was from Spring Creek in Nevada, where she lived with her mother, father, and siblings.
Spring Creek is located in a large valley and is a country town that is mainly a bedroom community for the industries and businesses that are close to Elko City.
Gabrielle would work on her family’s ranch and had a particular love of horse riding. It was through this interest that she met her childhood friend Bryce Dickey.
The young girl had aspirations of joining the Navy and was interested in helping people who had mental health issues.
The Murder of Gabrielle Ujlaky Explained
The two friends had become very close, and Bryce, well-known in the small community, was considered to be a nice guy, and very helpful.
Gabrielle would consider Bryce as an older brother, referring to him as such, but Bryce would see Gabrielle as something more. He would eventually express his love for Gabrielle, but Gabrielle would not see him in this respect and insisted that they just remain friends. Dickey was already in another relationship at the time too.
It was on the fateful day of March 8th, 2020 that Gabrielle would disappear. She had been with Dickey, watching her father’s band rehearse, then left, telling her father she would see him back at home.
However, this was the last thing that Gabrielle would ever say to her father.
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After three days of being missing, the body of Gabrielle was found, wrapped in a plastic sheet in Burner Basin. There was a single stab wound in her neck, she had also been strangled and raped.
Dickey was the last person to see Gabrielle alive and told a story that his friend had been picked up by a man in a cowboy hat driving a green pickup.
Prosecutors would say that this was a story told to throw the police off track.
What was found at the crime scene of the Britney Ujlaky murder?
Police had their suspicions about Dickey when his accounts of what happened on the day began to conflict. However, there was another piece of evidence found near the scene of the crime that would also raise alarm bells.
A discarded condom that contained Dickey’s DNA was found, as well as traces of his DNA on Gabrielle’s neck and under her nails. Police would also find a lanyard of keys with Gabrielle’s name on it near her body.
Later they would also find a set of earbuds with more DNA of Dickey’s.
Dickey would state to the police that the pair had consensual sex on that day despite previously saying they had never been intimate. Damningly, an ex-partner of Dickey’s would testify that he had choked her on four occasions when they were together.
Dickey was sentenced to life imprisonment for the crime.
