Four youth gang members found guilty of the murder of Reservoir teenager Declan Cutler

The mother of a Reservoir teenager who was kicked, stomped and stabbed more than 50 times has wept in court as four youth gang members were found guilty of her son’s murder.

Reservoir teenager Declan Cutler was stabbed to death in a ‘savage’ pack attack.

Four youth gang members who brutally killed a 16-year-old boy on a Reservoir nature strip in a “savage” pack attack have been found guilty of murder, including the thug who stabbed him more than 50 times and then wrote a rap song about it.

The teens, now aged between 16 and 19, were on Friday convicted of the murder of Declan Cutler after a mammoth Supreme Court trial that began back in November.

The boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, all pleaded not guilty to murder, with three of them arguing they simply did not participate in the attack.

But CCTV footage would be their ultimate undoing.

The chilling footage captured the four gang members – together with four accomplices – stabbing, kicking and stomping on Declan as he lay helpless on the dark Reservoir street.

Justice Incerti said Declan was ‘utterly defenceless’.

As Justice Rita Incerti, who presided over the judge-alone trial, declared they were guilty of murder, Declan’s mother sobbed in the courtroom.

The four murderers were soon after removed from the dock, one muttering to another: “Damn, bro.”

Outside court, Declan’s father Bryan Beattie embraced Crown prosecutor Kristie Churchill.

The verdict is the last Justice Incerti will hand down in the case.

In September, she found a 13-year-old boy, now aged 14, not guilty of murder because he was too young to know his actions during the attack were “seriously wrong”.

The remaining three teens all chose to plead guilty over their involvement in the attack.

“The footage emits no sound but screams of horror,” Justice Incerti said of the CCTV footage.

Declan’s father Bryan Beattie hugs Crown prosecutor Kristie Churchill after the guilty verdict. Picture: AAP/James Ross

At trial, Ms Churchill told the court the killing was carried out by eight youths, who either “belonged” to or “associated” with a street gang from Melbourne’s west.

On March 13, 2022, they all packed into a stolen Mazda and drove from Tarneit to Reservoir where members of a rival gang were at a party.

In the early hours of the morning, the Mazda turned into a street where Declan and two of his friends were walking, having left the party.

The boys chased Declan down in the Mazda, who had become separated from his friends in the chaos.

The eight teens armed with four knives then exited the stolen car in “quick succession” before launching into the ferocious two-minute attack.

Declan, who was not affiliated with the rival gang, lost his life that night despite the fact one of his friends was the “intended target”.

Declan’s mother Samantha Cutler (left) who has paid tribute to her late son with a tattoo of his name. Picture: AAP Image/James Ross

The Crown prosecutor told the court one of the 19-year-olds was the “most active” in the “unprovoked” attack, stabbing the teen more than 50 times.

She added the 16-year-old stabbed Declan four times with a large knife, before the 18-year-old grabbed the weapon and plunged it into their victim six times.

She said the other 19-year-old did not have a knife but was “actively involved” by kicking and stomping.

“Declan would lose his life on the nature strip on Horton St,” Ms Churchill said.

He suffered more than 66 blunt force injuries, 56 sharp force injuries and 30 puncture wounds.

His cause of death was determined as stab wounds to the chest.

One day after the murder, the 19-year-old who was the “most active” in the attack altered the lyrics to one of his rap songs in an ultimate admission of guilt.

“Like, how many times did I insert my blade,” the new lyric read, which was discovered on his phone.

“How many times did I do it with hate.”

He added: “F--k the judge, I am copping no sentence.”

Days later, he took a damning selfie which was later obtained by police.

“Killers that have never been caught,” the text on the selfie read.

A knife found nearby the murder scene. Picture: David Crosling

Police at the Reservoir murder scene. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

The 18-year-old also wrote “confessional” rap lyrics in the days after the murder.

“I did it in the night. My Rambo got way too horny,” he said, with Rambo being a reference to a knife.

The court heard the 19-year-old and the 18-year-old also Googled information about passports, with one searching whether he could leave the country.

At trial, Ms Churchill told Justice Incerti that since the four teens “entered into an agreement, arrangement or understanding” with the others to cause serious injury or death to Declan, they should all be found guilty of murder.

But defence barristers for three of the teens – aged 19, 18 and 16 – told the court their clients vehemently denied participating in the attack.

“In a nutshell, the main issue … is identity,” one lawyer said.

But Justice Incerti dismissed their lies, ruling it was them depicted in the CCTV footage.

The second 19-year-old, who did not use a knife, admitted to participating but denied he acted with any “murderous intent”.

However, his plea of guilty to manslaughter was not accepted by the prosecution.

In September, a 14-year-old boy, now aged 16, who repeatedly stabbed Declan with a large knife pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 15 years’ jail.

Two 16-year-old boys, now aged 18, who kicked and stabbed the teen also pleaded guilty but to the lesser charges of manslaughter and intentionally causing serious injury.

They were sentenced to four and three ½ years, respectively, in a youth justice centre.

Justice Incerti will sentence the four teens at a later date.