Edmonton teenager faces murder trial after Bloods and Crips New Year’s Day party stabbing

A Bloods and Crips-themed 18th birthday party in Manoora descended into deadly violence as two homegrown rival groups came to blows in the early hours of New Year's Day in 2022, a court has heard.

Seventeen-year-old Jayden Dau was killed after allegedly being stabbed at a Manoora street party in the early hours of New Year's Day, 2022.

A Bloods and Crips-themed 18th birthday party in Manoora descended into deadly violence as two homegrown rival groups came to blows in the early hours of New Year's Day in 2022, a court has heard.

Shortly after, 17-year-old Jayden Dau was dead and a 14-year-old boy was later charged with his murder.

The accused, who cannot be named as he is still under 18, has pleaded not guilty to the teenager’s murder as he faces a jury of five men and seven women in Cairns Supreme Court in a trial expected to last seven to 10 days.

The jury will hear from over 30 witnesses including other teenagers and adults who were at the party in Lychee Close in Manoora that night, police officers who were the first at the scene, and forensic experts and investigators.

Crown prosecutor Christopher Cook began his opening address with an alleged quote from the accused overheard during the party.

“Where’s my knife aye,” Mr Cook read.

“I’m going to stab some c***, I’m going to hit anyone at this party.”

Mr Cook told the jury those were the words they will hear from witnesses describing what the accused said in the lead-up before Mr Dau was fatally stabbed.

The scene of the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Jayden Dau at an 18th birthday party in Lychee Close, Manoora. A fight occurred on the street. Picture: Brendan Radke

“Jayden Dau died as a result of a knife being thrust into his abdomen,” Mr Cook said.

Mr Cook told the jury that two groups of young men in their teens and 20s, one from Edmonton and one from Mooroobool, both attended the party.

The party was themed after the notoriously deadly rivalry between US-based street gangs the Bloods and the Crips.

The accused was part of a group Mr Cook described as the “Edmonton boys”.

Mr Cook described him as a young man out to prove himself, looking for a fight.

Mr Cook told the court there were two altercations between the two groups that night.

The first did not turn violent but the second would end in the fatal stabbing, he said.

Mr Cook told the court the first incident evolved from an argument over a lighter during which the accused allegedly produced a knife and asked if they “wanted to get shanked”.

A second confrontation descended into a brawl with other members of both groups engaging in fighting before Jayden was fatally stabbed.

The scene of the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Jayden Dau at an 18th birthday party in Lychee Close, Manoora. A fight occurred on the street. Picture: Brendan Radke

Mr Cook told the court Jayden was stabbed once in the upper left arm and once in his lower abdomen.

Defence counsel Tim Ryan said the crux of the trial would be whether the prosecution could prove it was the accused who stabbed Mr Dau, and asserted he did not.

Queensland Police Service Constable Clinton Bray and his partner were the first to arrive on the scene at 1.28am after a triple-0 call was received at 12.52pm.

Mr Bray said after establishing the crime may have happened on the road he located “a splattering of blood” and followed the trail up the street before senior investigators arrived on the scene.

In cross examination Mr Bray confirmed the lighting on the street was “terrible” with only one light at each end of the street.

Lead investigator detective senior constable Simon Kampmann confirmed that Jayden Dau died at 1.55am on New Year’s Day at Cairns Hospital.

He confirmed an image shown by Mr Cook to the jury showed the blood soaked tie-dyed shirt worn by Jayden Dau with an approximately 2cm sized hole in the front.

He also testified that the accused was taken into custody the next night after a Holden Calais captured on CCTV travelling towards, then leaving the scene of the stabbing, was intercepted being driven by his mother, who Mr Cook said was also involved in the altercation.

Constable Kampmann said a knife was never located by police.

He will continue his evidence when the trial resumes on Tuesday.

Originally published as Edmonton teenager faces murder trial after Bloods and Crips New Year’s Day party stabbing