Dominic Saliba guilty of manslaughter after stabbing cousin Bailey Jones at Bomaderry house party

A young man has been found guilty of manslaughter after fatally stabbing his teenage cousin at a “chaotic” NSW South Coast house party.

Dominic Saliba was arrested and charged with murder in December 2022. Picture: NSW Police

A young man has been found guilty of manslaughter after fatally stabbing his teenage cousin during a house party on the NSW South Coast more than two years ago.

Dominic Saliba’s verdict follows a nearly two week trial before Justice Dina Yehia in the Supreme Court at Nowra, who tried the 22-year-old on a charge of murder, after his 18-year-old cousin Bailey Jones’ death at a Bomaderry party on December 9, 2022.

Despite efforts from Crown prosecutor Kate Ratcliffe to have Saliba found guilty of murder, Justice Yehia ultimately acquitted him of the more serious charge, and instead found him guilty of the alternative count of manslaughter.

Saliba – then 19 – previously pleaded not guilty to the charge in Nowra Local Court, claiming his cousin “tripped on a knife” while playing with it at the party.

Emergency services were called to the scene where they found the young man laying on the ground covered in blood.

Bailey Jones was 18 when he died. Picture: File

He was taken to Shoalhaven Hospital fighting for life, but died soon after.

Saliba was arrested days later, charged and refused bail. He has remained in custody since.

Dominic Saliba’s trial took place in the Supreme Courts in Nowra. Picture: John Appleyard

During judgment on Wednesday, Justice Yehia recounted Ms Ratcliffe’s argument that Mr Jones was intentionally stabbed.

Ms Ratcliffe pointed to Saliba’s fingerprints being found on the 58cm long knife, as well as witness statements describing an altercation between the cousins which started as “slap boxing” before becoming more heated.

During the trial, Saliba admitted to “lying” to police when he took the stand on March 24, admitting the claim Mr Jones fell on the knife was fabricated.

However, he did not admit to murdering Mr Jones, instead claiming he was defending himself during the heated argument.

Saliba’s examination followed a number of testimonies which painted a picture of a “chaotic” night, with “obvious” tension between the cousins.

One significant piece of evidence came from Saliba’s ex-girlfriend, who told the court her then-partner was with Mr Jones at the time of his death.

The statements followed defence barrister Rose Khalilizadeh reinforcing her client’s defence of protecting himself during the heated exchange, saying he did not murder his cousin.

However, Ms Ratcliffe said it was clear Saliba’s actions were “intentional”, noting his false statements damaged his reliability.

Justice Yehia noted forensic evidence linking Saliba to the crime scene, including DNA and fingerprint analysis, which Ms Ratcliffe said pointed to the deliberate nature of the stabbing.

Saliba’s trial also saw emotional testimony from Mr Jones’ family, who said his death left them “devastated” and “torn apart”.

When handing down judgment, Justice Yehia labelled the situation a “tragic case”.

“The deceased family have lost a loved one and that loss was one that was far too premature,” she said.

Justice Yehia also acknowledged Saliba’s lying, submitting he “lied to his friends and family at the scene and then continued to lie to police”.

However, while she revealed it could not be proved beyond reasonable doubt Saliba intended to murder his cousin, it was proved the stab wounds which killed the 18-year-old were carried out by the accused.

Saliba was found guilty of manslaughter and will be sentenced at a later date.

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