Anthony Mununggurr: Elder called for peace in lead up to grandson’s alleged murder

‘It looked like there was going to be blood’: Court shown footage of violent unrest after teen’s alleged murder.

A YIRRKALA Elder held his grandson to his chest and pleaded for peace moments before the 17-year-old was fatally stabbed.

Witiyana Marika vividly described to the Darwin Local Court seeing the dark patch of his grandson’s blood “spray” through his bright red singlet as he burst from a Yirrkala home while fighting two brothers. 

Anthony Djurrawut Mununggurr appeared in court via a prison video link on Monday accused of murdering the teenage boy during a clash between the rival families on Wednesday April 28, 2021.

The alleged murderer was silent beneath his disposable medical mask and did not make a plea.

Mr Marika was the first of five scheduled witnesses to give evidence over a multiple day preliminary examination mention.

Witiyana Marika. Picture: Keri Megelus

The community Elder told Judge Ben O’Loughlin the teenager and his family were the aggressors in the violent clash with a rival family in their Arnhem Land community.

The Elder and community peacekeeper looked mournful as he described the alleged unnecessary violence, telling the court tension between the Marika and Mununggurr families had been simmering for some time.

“I was going to bring peace and order,” he said.

Mr Marika said the hostility was typically drummed up online before flared up on the street.

“The daughters in the clan, the young people they’re using social media … (to) insult. It’s their world there,” Mr Marika said.

Mr Marika said when he heard about an angry crowd on April 28 he raced from his home to try and quell the violence.

The Elder said as he walked towards the crowd he managed to convince a Mununggurr family — Barawunya ‘Frank’ Mununggurr, his wife Faye and three daughters — to put down their weapons and go in with peaceful intentions.

“They were scared because they saw the mob coming in,” Mr Marika said.

“They were getting ready their weapons, and I told them ‘Hey, put it away, this is not for fighting. This is to mediate, reconcile.”

Yet Mr Marika said when they reached the seaside park, the other family was not ready for peace.

He said the group was armed with knives, machetes, chains, crowbars, stones and yam sticks.

Mr Marika winced as the shaky mobile footage played to the court showed an image of his grandson among the large crowd yelling and congregating outside a Mununggurr home.

“I was right in the middle,” Mr Marika said.

“I was shouting, shouting, shouting but I couldn’t get through.

“It looked like there was going to be blood.”

The Yirrkala community. Picture: Floss Adams.

Mr Marika said a teenage girl on the veranda started teasing his grandson, making him upset.

Miming to the court the Elder held up his arms and clenched his fists, Mr Marika described how he tried to hold his grandson back.

“I said ‘No fighting, no fighting’,” he said.

Mr Marika said his grandson twisted his arm, broke free and chased a man into the house holding a large “Indiana Jones” blade.

“I heard shouting, screaming, everything,” Mr Marika said.

He said two minutes later his grandson burst out of the home, fighting two brothers Darren and Barawunya ‘Frank’ Mununggurr.

Mr Marika told the court there was “blood everywhere”, with wounds to the teenager’s right shoulder blade, back and chest.

He said the boy wrestled Barawunya to the ground and continued punching while Darren tried to pull him off.

Mr Marika alleged the eldest brother, Anthony Mununggurr was trying to protect his brothers and stabbed the boy twice with a yam stick, a wood pole with a sharp point attached.

He said his grandson crawled away, calling for help, before collapsing.

“I was there and crying and hugging him right there,” Mr Marika said.

“The day was meant for him, your honour, because it was his birthday,”

“He just turned 17.’

A 17-YEAR-OLD boy is dead and at least three others are in hospital after a large fight in the remote Territory town of Yirrkala. Picture: Google

The sound of wailing echoed through the court as video footage showed the aftermath of the alleged murder.

Mr Marika alleged a group of men and women then turned on Barawunya.

“They took off and the whole family chased them, throwing rocks,” he said.

“All the rocks were flying … I tried to stop them.”

Images of Barawunya’s blood soaked back flashing on the court screen as shaky mobile footage showed him and his wife escaping to the health clinic.

The court heard Barawunya was in a life-threatening condition from the alleged attack.

The 17-year-old’s father, Gerard Bunumbirr Marika, Austin Muwulu Mununggurr, and Gerard ‘wuluma’ Mununggurr, were charged in relation to the incident.

Gerard Marika was charged with aggravated assault and causing serious harm.

Austin and Gerard Mununggurr also appeared on Monday charged with recklessly endangering life, going armed in public and engaging in violent conduct. Their matters were adjourned to July 11.

Mr Marika said his memory became hazy after his grandson ran in, because of a “black magic” curse.

Anthony will return to Darwin Local Court on Tuesday and is expected to make a bail application.

His preliminary examination hearing is likely to be pushed back for a month, as the court heard a lack of translators meant there was a four week delay to hear from three other witnesses.

Originally published as Anthony Mununggurr: Elder called for peace in lead up to grandson’s alleged murder