William Holdback’s mother Kylee Butterick speaks out after court hearing for accused killers Liam and Brian Slann

The heartbroken mum of a young man who was allegedly stabbed to death in a gruesome 1am slaying has spoken out about her son’s death.

The heartbroken mum of a young man who was allegedly stabbed to death in a 1am slaying says his death has affected “hundreds of people’s lives”.

Kylee Butterick, the mother of alleged murder victim William Holdback, 21, fought back tears as she spoke outside Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday, where Liam and Brian Slann both appeared charged with Mr Holdback’s joint murder.

“There are no words to describe how we are all feeling,” she said, her voice breaking.

“This has affected hundreds of people’s lives.

“We miss him. We miss him so much.”

Alleged murder victim William Holdback. Picture: 7News

Liam, 27, and his father Brian, 51, stand accused of murdering Mr Holdback in an industrial suburb in Adelaide’s inner northwest on April 10.

The gruesome events were allegedly captured on CCTV, which appears to show Mr Holdback screaming for help about 1am as he is chased down the street.

He suffered critical injuries in the alleged stabbing attack.

A group of musicians rehearsing nearby told police they heard Mr Holdback’s screams and tried to help the young man, but he died at the scene.

The police launched a large-scale hunt for the alleged offenders after finding Mr Holdback’s body in the area and arrested Liam on April 14 and Brian on April 19.

Some 50 officers were attached to the investigation.

The police believe Mr Holdback and his alleged killers knew one another and arranged to meet at Welland at 1.30am.

Liam Slann has been charged with Mr Holdback’s murder. Picture: Supplied

So has his father Brian Slann. Picture: 9News

South Australian Police Detective Superintendent Des Bray, speaking in April, said he believed the attack was a “senseless murder over something trivial”.

“Sadly, Will’s made some foolish decisions and has chosen drugs at different times but … he comes from a decent family, he’s not a bad person, he’s simply made a bad decision that a lot of young people make,” he said.

The police claim the alleged killers fled the scene in a BMW sedan.

At court of Tuesday, a joint murder charge against the Slanns was solidified.

They have not entered any pleas.

The prosecution asked magistrate John Wells for a four-month adjournment for an answer charge date, telling the court that extensive CCTV footage would prove crucial to the case.

“A significant body of evidence in this matter is CCTV,” she said.

Kylee Butterick said there were ‘no words’ to describe how she was feeling. Picture: Duncan Evans. Picture : NewsWire/ Roy VanDerVegt

“The defendants travelled from their home address, effectively on one side of the city to the other.

“A compilation of that CCTV has been provided, but there is still a significant amount of work to be done.”

Mr Wells asked defence lawyer Con O’Neil, speaking for Brian, whether the identification of the Slanns at the scene of the alleged crime was “an issue”.

“Not an issue,” Mr O’Neil responded.

Mr Wells set January 15 for an answer charge date.

Liam and Brian have not applied for bail and both remain in custody.

“We come back in three months and take it from there,” Ms Butterick said after the hearing.

She said she believed the police were “very happy” with how the case was progressing.