‘Hell:’ Cassius Turvey’s mum speaks after two men found guilty of murdering her son

The mother of a young boy who was murdered after school by men armed with metal poles has spoken out.

WARNING: This story features the name and image of a deceased Indigenous person.

The mother of a young boy who was murdered after school by men armed with metal poles has spoken out about her son’s killers, saying “they can just rot”.

Mechelle Turvey spoke to media after a 12-person jury found Jack Brearley, 24, and Brodie Palmer, 30, killed the Cassius Turvey, 14, who was struck with a metal pole on October 13, 2022.

Cassius died from his injuries in hospital 10 days later.

Cassius Turvey, 15 died after he was beaten with a metal pole in Midland on October 13, 2022.

Ms Turvey said her son was hunted down for days by four people despite having nothing to do with smashing Brearley’s car windows.

“Everyone has a responsibility to be a human and to have some humility in their life,” she said.

“My son died for absolutely nothing.

“He had nothing to do with smashing Mr Brearley’s car windows, but his life was taken.

“My son has finally got justice. May he live forever, 15, as a gentle giant, one that helped everyone.

“He had no judgmental bone in his beautiful body. May his spirit and legacy go along with all his friends as well who are still doing things that Cassius used to do.”

Cassius was hospitalised after he was bashed by Jack Brearley (pictured) walking home from school with a friend.

Mitchel Forth, 27, and Aleesha Gilmore, 23, were also charged with murder over the boy’s death.

Forth was found not guilty of Cassius’s murder but guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter.

Gilmore was found not guilty of both murder and manslaughter.

The jury found the group guilty of all other charges, including the deprivation of liberty of two boys who were held against their will four days earlier.

A fifth man Ethan McKenzie, 21, was not charged with murder but faced other charges over a separate incident involving Brearley, Gilmore and Forth four days before Cassius was killed.

Gilmore and McKenzie applied for bail for time already served ahead of sentencing in June.

Bail was opposed by the state for both offenders.

Chief Justice Peter Quinlan said he did not think it was likely McKenzie and Gilmore would have served all the time in custody that would be imposed during sentencing in June.

Both had their application bail refused.

Ms Turvey said she went numb with relief when the verdict was handed down, but for her justice would never be served.

“I don’t have my son, and he’s not coming back for anything, so they can just rot as far as I’m concerned,” she said.

Ms Turvey told media because Cassius had a head injury he never got to make a police statement about the people who attacked him despite being able to point out Brearley on social media that night.

“It’s a bit of a sore point,” she said.

“I’d like to thank all of Australia, people that don’t know us, for all their love and support it means so much,” she said.

“I’d like to thank the 91 witnesses, and may I say, most of them were young children that are scarred for life that helped my son on the day.”

Cassius’s mother Mechelle said sitting through her son’s murder trial had been three months of hell. Picture: Emma Kirk/ NewsWire

The investigator that led the investigation into Cassius’ murder detective sergeant Steve Cleal attended the three month trial and sat with Ms Turvey as the verdict was read out on Thursday.

He said on October 13, 2022 Cassius Turvey did not make it home, and his mother Mechelle and family and friends should never have gone through this tragedy.

“I hope the verdict handed down today can in some way provide some kind of healing towards the family as they go through this, this terrible and tragic process,” the detective said.

“Cassius was completely innocent of all the events that led up to this terrible tragedy ... this was not his fault.

“This is certainly one of the highlights for me as an investigator.”

The family, friends and supporters of Cassius outside the District Court following the jury's verdict. Kirk/ NewsWire

Premier Roger Cook said he respected the decision of the court and hoped this provided justice and some closure for the Turvey family.

“This was a dreadful horrible experience, a very violent experience when Cassius left us and I think we were all deeply saddened and disturbed by the accounts of that crime,” he said.

“I hope that people see now that justice has been served and that this provides some closure and comfort to his family.”

The group denied all allegations related to a series of events in the lead-up to Cassius’s death on October 23, 2022 – 10 days after he was struck.

The prosecutor had argued in court that Brearley delivered the fatal blows, but his co-accused all shared a common purpose when they set out that day.

The court was told the violence was sparked days earlier on October 9, 2022, when Gilmore’s teenage brother became involved in a love triangle.

He and another boy had clashed over a love interest and were quarrelling with each other through text messages.

Cassius at Midland Bus Station in the moments before he was attacked and killed. Picture: Supplied

The court was told Gilmore’s brother feared he would be mobbed, so Gilmore – along with her boyfriend Brearley, Forth, and McKenzie – drove through suburbs in Perth’s east looking for the boys who had threatened him.

The jury was told how the group of 20-somethings chased down a group of children – unrelated to these events – and snatched two of them off streets in Perth’s east on October 9, 2022.

The two boys were forced into their car at knifepoint and held against their will.

One of the boys told the court that he tried to flee on foot but was chased down, punched, kicked and stabbed on a suburban street in Swan View before he was forced to get into their car.

Three days later, Brearley’s car windows were smashed by a group of schoolchildren in retaliation.

The court was told Gilmore’s brothers contacted her about fights that were planned and people who threatened to run through their house if they failed to show up on October 13, 2022.

She and her co-accused were at Palmer’s house in the Perth hills when she started receiving the messages from her brother.

Cassius died from his injuries in hospital on October 23, 2022.

CCTV footage captured Brearley saying, “Somebody smashed my car – they’re about to die,” before they left in Palmer’s car.

They drove to Gilmore’s home, where the state alleged the group collected weapons and tore handles off shopping trolleys in an alleyway next to the house, loading them into Palmer’s car.

It was alleged the group took off with the common goal of looking for school kids.

The jury was told the three men – minus Gilmore, who had got out after an earlier argument with Brearley – pulled up near a group of about 20 kids.

Allegedly armed with metal poles, the trio abused the children and accused them of smashing their car windows.

The court was told as one child was allegedly shoved to the ground and assaulted, the others, including Cassius, scattered into the bushland to try to escape the men.

Mechelle Turvey said her son was a gentle giant who helped everyone.

The state alleged Brearley chased after and caught up with Cassius, knocking him to the ground and striking the 15-year old twice with a metal pole.

Cassius managed to walk to his group of friends after he had been attacked despite suffering multiple head injuries – including a laceration to his forehead and split ear – as they had gathered a short distance away at a nearby TAFE.

Paramedics arrived and treated Cassius, who was transferred to the Perth Children’s Hospital and sent home on October 18, but he was re-admitted to the Midland Hospital after he suffered seizures hours later.

He died in hospital days later.

Brearley denied all allegations against him and said it was Cassius who stabbed him first, then blamed Palmer for inflicting the fatal blows to the schoolboy.

Palmer maintained he was in his vehicle when the fatal attack happened and heard Brearley call out he’d been stabbed. He claimed he saw Cassius covered in blood when he approached them.