Cole Miller one-punch death: Accused pleads guilty
ONE of two men charged over the one-punch death of young Brisbane athlete Cole Miller has pleaded guilty to killing him.
ONE of two men charged over the one-punch death of young Brisbane athlete Cole Miller has pleaded guilty to killing him.
Armstrong Renata, 21, delivered a single, fatal blow to the 18-year-old water polo player, as he and a friend walked through a Brisbane entertainment precinct in the early hours of January 3.
Mr Miller and his friend Nick Pace were allegedly set upon by Renata’s co-accused, Daniel Maxwell, in an unprovoked attack, as the teenagers walked through a mall to catch a taxi.
Renata then delivered a solitary punch that caused Mr Miller to hit his head on the ground, rendering him unconscious.
He died in hospital of massive head injuries the next day, without ever regaining consciousness.
In Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday, Renata, a New Zealand national, pleaded guilty to unlawful striking causing death.
He will be sentenced in Queensland’s Supreme Court at a later date.
Maxwell is scheduled to reappear on August 15.
He has also been charged with unlawful striking causing death.
It is believed he will contest the charge, on the basis that it was Renata, not he, who delivered the fatal blow.
Maxwell has made two unsuccessful attempts for bail, in the Brisbane Magistrates Court and the Supreme Court of Queensland.
The Supreme Court application was aborted at the last minute, when his legal team was advised that if the New Zealand national was to be released on bail, he would immediately be taken into immigration detention.
In the first application, the magistrates court heard Maxwell and Renata were out celebrating Maxwell’s 21st birthday in Fortitude Valley, when they targeted Mr Miller and Mr Pace.
Maxwell is alleged to have said to the group he was with, “do you want to see something funny?” before picking a fight with the young Brisbane pair, who resisted.
The court heard as Mr Miller tried to back away, Renata moved behind the teenage athlete and, without provocation, punched him in the head from behind.
Maxwell and Renata then fled the scene and were arrested and charged later that night.
Mr Miller’s family, including his professional water polo player brother Billy Miller, made the heartbreaking decision to turn off his life support in hospital the following day, when doctors told them the teenager’s head injuries were not survivable.
He was the youngest child in a family of four, who was home for the New Year break during a break in training.
Mr Miller had been due to compete in a water polo tournament in Adelaide the week after his death.
The violent nature of his death prompted widespread outrage across Queensland, with a public memorial rally attended by hundreds in Brisbane’s CBD soon after his death.
It also fast-tracked the introduction of Queensland’s lockout laws, which were passed by the state’s parliament in March.
kim.stephens@news.com.au