Fatal CBD stabbing of Laa Chol at EQ Tower caught on CCTV
MURDER victim Laa Chol was caught on CCTV in a fight for her life before she was stabbed in a CBD apartment tower, a court has heard.
Law & Order
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MURDER victim Laa Chol was caught on CCTV in a fight for her life before she was stabbed in a CBD apartment tower, a court has heard.
The footage allegedly captured Ms Chol in a fist fight with a 16-year-old youth who has since been charged with assault and being an accessory after the fact of murder.
The pair can be seen throwing punches at each other in the hallway of the EQ Tower in A’Beckett St in the early hours of July 21.
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Police allege the video then shows the boy holding the 19-year-old law student, while another teen runs in and stabs her.
As Ms Chol staggered back to the apartment she had rented with friends and collapsed, the CCTV allegedly shows the accused murderer put his finger to his mouth in a shush-type motion to his co-accused, before handing over the knife to him to hide in his backpack.
The shocking details emerged as the prosecution applied to Children’s Court magistrate Mia Stylianou to uplift the case of the youth accused of being an accessory to the Supreme Court where higher penalties apply.
The maximum penalty that can be imposed if it remains in the children’s jurisdiction is three years.
As Ms Stylianou watched the footage on a laptop, the prosecution explained to her how the group spilled out of an apartment and into the foyer.
“Your honour will see on the footage there is a fight between this accused and the deceased,” the prosecutor said.
“Punches are exchanged. The fight continues unfolding.
“The assault doesn’t stop. It’s continuous. The co-accused can be seen to pull a knife from his pocket and stab the victim in the chest area.
“(This accused) is in fact holding the victim as she’s stabbed.”
The boy’s lawyer argued it would be difficult for the Crown to prove his client knew Ms Chol had been stabbed, or suffered life-threatening injuries.
But the prosecution told the court he was “in the line of sight” when she was stabbed and showed “no shock or horror” when the murder accused later handed him the knife.
“He knows what he’s asking for. He secretes that murder weapon,” the prosecution said, adding it was never found.
The co-accused — a 17-year-old male — has been charged with Ms Chol’s murder.
The court heard both youth facing charges over her death are contesting the charges.
Ms Stylianou reserved her decision on the uplift application until November 1.