Man charged with manslaughter over penthouse party bashing death

A birthday party in Melbourne’s CBD turned into a bloodbath with a young man suffering repeated assaults before he was killed.

A 22-year-old man has been charged with manslaughter after an alleged bashing incident took place after a birthday party. ​

A birthday party bash in Melbourne’s CBD turned into a bloody brawl that caused the death of a young man who was allegedly attacked several times, a court has heard.

Jogan-Mohi Kepa, of Roxborough Park, was charged with manslaughter and assault following the death of a 22-year-old man when he allegedly bashed the victim on the head with a chair.

The 22-year-old appeared at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on July 10 to apply for bail which was refused.

The court heard that Mr Kepa attended a friend’s birthday party on March 10 at a Flinders St penthouse hotel room with a group of friends.

There were a large number of people at the party but about 2am the majority of the guests left, leaving Mr Kepa with eight other men, including the victim.

Witness accounts given by the other men in the group reported that the victim was highly intoxicated and was helped to bed in a room in the apartment, but began punching holes in the wall of the bedroom.

A co-accused allegedly punched the victim in the head and knocked him unconscious.

When the victim woke and continued to punch the walls, Mr Kepa and the co-accused allegedly had a “scuffle” with the victim.

After the altercation the three men left the apartment and were captured on CCTV hugging and shaking hands.

CCTV footage from the hotel complex hallway and lift also captured the victim struggling to walk and bleeding from his head.

Police allege Mr Kepa re-entered the apartment with the victim and another man about 3.30am when the fatal assault took place.

Witness accounts stated Mr Kepa bashed the victim on the head with a chair and knocked him unconscious.

All men except the victim left the hotel by 4.46am, when Mr Kepa and friends went to Crown Casino.

The victim was found the next morning by hotel staff, unconscious and struggling to breathe, dying about 11am after he could not be revived by paramedics.

Police found blood stains on numerous surfaces in the apartment and a coroner ruled the cause of the death was blunt force trauma to the head.

Mr Kepa was apprehended by police the next day but denied he assaulted the victim.

Police have charged another man over the incident and are seeking to charge another, but the man flew to New Zealand shortly after the incident occurred.

None of the incidents of assault were captured on CCTV footage and were based only on witness reports from the other men in the group.

Defence lawyer for Mr Kepa, Allie Sutherland, stated the prosecution case was based on witnesses with poor reliability.

“There may be issues with reliability that must be explored,” Ms Sutherland said.

“All of the witnesses to the incident are also people who could have been persons of interest to police, but they're the only ones who have been given an opportunity to speak on what happened.”

Magistrate Michael Wighton stated the prosecution’s case was strong in refusing bail for Mr Kepa.

“The prosecution case has to be assessed as being rather strong … (but) all the witnesses are alleged to be present during the whole incident and therefore they may be issues about the credibility.

“The accused admits to being present and there are witnesses who implicate him.”

The case will return to court on October 24.