Teen girl not guilty of murdering Mildura teen Seb O’Halloran
A teenage girl has broken down in tears after she was found not guilty of the stabbing murder of Mildura teen Seb O’Halloran on self-defence grounds.
Police & Courts
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A teenage girl has been found not guilty of the stabbing murder of Mildura teen Seb O’Halloran on self-defence grounds.
Mr O’Halloran, 19, a talented motocross rider from Irymple in the state’s far northwest, was stabbed in the chest with a kitchen knife after he was caught up in a fight between the girl and her boyfriend at a Mildura share house in the early hours of October 21, 2023.
The girlfriend, who cannot be identified because she was 17 at the time, was on Wednesday acquitted of murder following a five-week trial in the Supreme Court.
She was also found not guilty of an alternate charge of manslaughter.
The girl broke down in tears and embraced custody officers seated beside her after the verdict.
Her family seated in the front row of the public gallery also cried.
It took the 12-person jury nearly five days to return its unanimous decision.
The trial heard Mr O’Halloran was killed after he was caught up in a heated physical altercation between the girl and her boyfriend who had been cheating on her.
Now 18, the girl gave evidence at trial, claiming her boyfriend had previously raped her and she retrieved a knife for protection because she would feared she would be sexually assaulted or bashed by her boyfriend and Mr O’Halloran.
Much of the trial centred on the young couple’s relationship, with prosecutors conceding the girl was subject to family violence.
After the jury was discharged, Justice Rita Incerti directly addressed the girl from the bench.
“This is the end of a long journey, you’ve got your family here,” she said.
“I suspect there’s some paperwork that has to be completed, but at this time you can go home.”
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