Weston Creek skatepark murder accused allegedly said, 'I stabbed them'

The teenager accused of murdering a man at the Weston Creek skatepark where a 16-year-old was also stabbed allegedly said “I stabbed them” after the fight.

The then-15-year-old accused is facing an ACT Supreme Court jury trial, now in its third week, charged with murdering the 18-year-old man.

Twelve people converged on the skatepark in three cars in the early hours of 27 September 2020. During the brawl that followed, the 16-year-old was stabbed in the back by the accused, who has admitted committing that particular attack.

The 18-year-old died at the scene and jurors heard he received five stab wounds and died from rapid blood loss.

On Thursday (19 May), a boy who had been in the fight testified, saying he began to cry when he found out what had actually happened after reading about it online.

He recalled a conversation where the accused allegedly told him, “I think I stabbed the guy you were fighting”.

“He said it like under his breath, very quietly,” the boy said. He said he didn’t respond.

He was also asked about an alleged conversation he overheard, in which he claimed the accused was talking about what happened at the skatepark to someone else and said something like, “Go in and say something and I’ll go on the run”, as well as “sorry”.

He also claimed he heard him say the words, “I did it”.

Crown Prosecutor Rebecca Christensen raised another alleged conversation the accused had with one of the adults who had gone to the skatepark, a man who barrister David Barrow later described as a “pretty big, imposing person”.

The boy told police, standing by the comment in court as well, that during this alleged conversation the accused said, “I stabbed them”.

“I remember [the adult] yelling at him. He’s like, ‘you need to go in and say what you’ve done’,” the boy claimed to police. He claimed that the adult also told the accused he was going to “f-k up” their lives.

During cross-examination, Mr Barrow asked him about a comment the boy made to police, that someone had raised a “plan to talk to [the accused] to try and make him go confess”.

“Was the plan to spin a story to [the accused] that the person with the machete was dead? To get him to believe that he was responsible for the death of the person at the skatepark?” he asked. The boy denied this.

The court also heard from the mother of one of the adults, who sent a message to a group chat for several people who went to the skatepark on the Monday after the fight.

“I’ve had nearly 24 hours now to digest this,” she said.

“[One of the adults], no more contact with the main person.

“Can you grab the two young-uns. I need to speak with everyone who is directly involved okay?”

One of the adults replied with a “thumbs up”. Several of the people from the skatepark gathered at her house later that day to talk, then afterwards, they went to the police.

The boy had also been asked about this meeting in court, saying, “I think [the accused] was told to come, but he didn’t want to.”

On Friday (20 May), jurors heard from several police officers, including one who said the 18-year-old appeared dead when he found his body.

He said he discussed what to do with another officer and told them, “We have to try”, so he began CPR.

The accused has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm.

The trial continues before Chief Justice Lucy McCallum.