Mayiik Ring, victim of St Albans murderer Malwal Aweng was a father-to-be, Supreme Court told

A young father-to-be was trying to diffuse an argument when he was stabbed to death by a violent street thug in a St Albans park.

The partner of a “kind, loving, happy” young man who was senselessly murdered while trying to diffuse an argument in a St Albans park in 2022 found out she was pregnant in the days after he died.

The Supreme Court on Friday heard Malwal Aweng, 28, was on a community corrections order for assault and recklessly causing injury when he murdered Mayiik Ring, 32, and slashed the neck of Mr Ring’s partner, Nyaiek Anyang.

Aweng had also been jailed, in late 2017, to four years’ jail for the brutal bashing of a man outside the State Library on Swanston St.

Ms Anyang told the court the murder of Mr Ring had affected her “deeply and permanently”.

“He was not just my best friend, he was the person who I said good morning and good night to every day,” she said.

In a tragic development, Ms Anyang found out she was pregnant with Mr Ring’s daughter in the days after he was killed.

“He left a piece of himself behind with me … I see his spirit in our daughter everyday,” she said.

“One day she will say, ‘Mum, what happened to my father?’.”

Mr Ring also had a daughter, Achel Ring, from a previous marriage.

Mr Ring’s ex-wife, Lydia Manongwa, told the court, “I too am broken”, while a childhood friend, Wilson Arob said Mr Ring “was the person you could always count on”.

Mayiik Ring, 32, died on December 30, 2022, after he was allegedly stabbed during an "altercation" in Melbourne's northwest. Picture: Facebook.

A Supreme Court jury found Malwal Aweng guilty of murdering Mayiik Ring. Picture: NewsWire / Diego Fedele

Mr Ring’s mother, Awatif Ring told the court her son was a “kind, loving, happy” young man.

Aweng’s murder of Mr Ring was an escalation of a minor dispute between friends-of-friends.

Crown Prosecutor Jim Shaw said Mr Ring was “trying to diffuse the situation” until he was fatally stabbed by Aweng.

“The offender … escalated that confrontation, he broke off from the fighting and arguing to grab a knife from his then-girlfriend’s handbag.”

Aweng has long admitted responsibility for Mr Ring’s death, and offered to plead guilty to manslaughter, but the offer was rejected by prosecutors and a jury found him guilty of the more serious charge of murder.

Mr Aweng’s barrister, Paul Smallwood, said: “He knows that he’s responsible for the grief expressed in these (family) statements.

He said his client was exposed to violence as a child, and has been a heavy drinker and cannabis user since his teenage years.

Aweng was also the target of racist bullying after he arrived in Australia, Mr Smallwood said.

Justice Andrew Tinney said it was concerning previous punishments had not stopped Aweng’s violence.

“I accept that he has a serious and sincere regret for what he did.

“Unfortunately, anything the courts have been able to do have been unsuccessful in controlling his behaviour.”

Justice Tinney will sentence Aweng at a later date.