An asylum seeker accused of murdering a hotel worker in Walsall was seen dancing and laughing moments after the attack, a jury has heard.
Deng Chol Majek, who claims to be 19, allegedly stabbed 27-year-old Rhiannon Skye Whyte 23 times with a screwdriver after following her to Bescot Stadium railway station on 20 October last year.
Prosecutor Michelle Heeley KC told Wolverhampton Crown Court that Majek, a Sudanese national living at the Park Inn hotel where Whyte worked, was “clearly excited about what he had done”.
Whyte, whose shift had ended at 11pm, was heard screaming during a phone call to a friend before being found bleeding on the platform by a train guard. She died shortly after from her injuries.
Heeley said Majek was identified through CCTV footage showing him in distinctive clothing and that his jacket, sandals and a ring were later found stained with Whyte’s blood. DNA matching the victim was also discovered under his fingernails, suggesting she fought for her life.
“This was a vicious and sustained attack,” Heeley said. “Rhiannon was stabbed mainly in the head and chest. Eleven of the wounds pierced her skull, one fatally damaging the brain stem.”
The court heard Majek appeared to have no clear motive, though CCTV captured him staring at Whyte earlier that evening.
After the stabbing, Majek allegedly returned calmly to the hotel, where witnesses described him laughing and dancing.
He denies murder and possession of an offensive weapon while the trial continues.
