Ten of 12 men accused of teen’s murder at Zillmere park found guilty

Ten out of 12 men charged with murder after the death of teenager Girum Mekonnen in Brisbane’s Zillmere Park have been found guilty.

Ten men have been found guilty of murder over an attack in a suburban park more than four years ago which killed a teenager and put 10 others in the hospital.

Following a three-week judge-only Supreme Court trial late last year, Justice Lincoln Crowley delivered his verdicts on Wednesday after several months’ deliberations.

The convicted killers now face life in prison for the brutal murder of Girum Mekonnen, 19, who was stabbed in O’Callaghan Park in Zillmere in Brisbane’s north on September 13, 2020.

Those convicted are Alex Edward Deng, 22, Joseph Lokolong, 28, Ben Abio, 23, Majok Riel Majok, 23, Juma Makuol Deng Makuol, 28, Chan Kuchmol Kon, 28, Kresto Wal Wal, 29, Abraham Ajang Yaak, 30, Gabreal Wal Wal, 31, and Santo Wal, 36.

Girum Mekonnen died after the alleged surprise attack at O’Callaghan Park at Zillmere in September 2020. Picture Facebook

Two men – Malat Akoi Makuach, 25 and Yohana Wal Wal, 24 – were found not guilty of all charges including murder.

The trial heard the park attack was revenge for a vicious ambush five days earlier on a man named John Wal at Redbank Plains Shopping Centre. John Wal was never charged or part of this trial and is not accused of any wrongdoing. The court heard he is the brother of three of the convicted killers.

He was set upon by a gang of attackers, assaulted until he blacked out, and further kicked and stomped on while unconscious. He suffered brain damage, a broken neck, fractured skull, internal bleeding, and blood clot on the brain.

However the court heard that Mr Mekonnen was not one of the four people charged over the earlier assault.

On that fateful Sunday in O’Callaghan Park, Mr Mekonnen and friends were sitting on the verandah of a demountable building drinking alcohol around 5.30pm.

Men wearing Covid masks, bandannas and hoodies over their heads, snuck up on them from behind and surrounded them. The attackers were armed with baseball bats, knives, and long blades such as machetes.

Deng, Abio, Majok, Makuol, Kon, Lokolong, Kresto Wal Wal, Yaak, and Gabreal Wal Wal carried out the park ambush.

The court heard it was also alleged three others – Santo Wal, Yohana Wal Wal and Malat Akoi Makuach – had travelled to Zillmere with the other defendants and had driven members of the attacking group away from the scene after the attack.

Kresto Wal Wal. Picture: NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

Malat Akoi Makuach Picture: NewsWire / John Gass

However Justice Crowley was not satisfied Yohana Wal Wal and Malat Akoi Makuach were parties to the alleged common unlawful purpose nor did the evidence prove they knew that the group were armed with weapons which they intended to use to attack the group in the park.

Kresto Wal Wal was always accused of being the “primary inciter” of the group in the park. He said to the victims moments before the violence broke out words to the effect of “there’s no way you’re going to get away with this” and “this is for my brother”.

Witness and victim Kyle Avenido, who spent the day with his friend Girum Mekonnen before

he was killed, recounted during the trial the moment the violence broke out.

The scene of the attack. Picture: QPS - Forensic Services

“I remember saying: ‘Please don’t do it, I don’t know you, I don’t know what’s going on.’

“Then one of them came forward and he hit me on the head with the bottle and I started bleeding profusely, blood squirted everywhere.”

Mr Avenido said after he was initially hit by the bottle to the head, he retreated, but was chased and hit in the chest, and stabbed in the back.

He also testified that during a brief lull in the melee, he heard one of the attackers say loudly “you hurt my brother”.

Badly wounded, Mr Avenido struggled through nearby trees towards the dried creekbed, which led back to the carpark where his car was.

“Then I saw Girum about five metres in front of me,” he testified.

“He was very dazed, he looked disorientated.

“I said ‘Girum, Girum, we need to get out of here’ and then he just collapsed face-first in front of me and that’s the last time I saw him, I didn’t see him get back up.”

The accused all pleaded not guilty to all 11 charges.

There was an increased police presence at court in the lead-up to Justice Lincoln Crowley’s

verdict, with uniformed and plain clothes police in attendance.

Gabreal Wal Wal, heads into court, before the verdict in trial of Zillmere 12 accused of murdering Girum Mekonnen, in a Zillmere park in 2020, Brisbane Supreme Court – on Wednesday 12th March 2025 – Photo Steve Pohlner

An autopsy report found the murder victim would have suffered “very rapid massive blood loss” via a 25 centimetre stab wound to the abdomen which passed through the main vein returning blood from the lower part of the body, to the heart and then continued on passing through the back of the thoracic aorta, which was the main artery transmitting blood from the heart to the organs and which rested against the spine.

A crucial part of the prosecution’s case has been mobile phone location data and message downloads from the defendants’ phones.

Crown prosecutor Nathan Crane said Joseph Lokolong Google searched on his phone the day after the incident “crime scene clean up” and “Zillmere murder scene”.

Mr Crane also highlighted to the trial that data downloaded from Alex Deng’s phone showed he sent a message using encrypted app Wickr at 11.30pm on the night of the incident saying: “Aye bruh that’s a M for the swish.”

Investigating police believed this meant “murder” and “Swish” being the name for the Ipswich-based gang.

The Crown was unable to identify the person or persons who had stabbed Mr Mekonnen or who had inflicted the other injuries upon other victims of the attack

But they alleged each defendant was liable for the offences committed by members of the attacking group on one or more bases, including that they were parties to a common unlawful purpose to inflict serious physical harm upon members of the group gathered in O’Callaghan Park

Justice Crowley said he was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the group of 10 he found guilty was part of the group that carried out the attack and was a party to the alleged common unlawful purpose.

“I find that members of the attacking group were already brandishing weapons when they came around from the sides of the canteen,” he said in his decision.

“I am not satisfied that every one of the attackers was carrying a weapon, but I am satisfied that many of them were. I find that the weapons held and used by the attackers included several bats or poles, several knives and at least one machete.

Santo Wal, heads into court, before the verdict in trial of Zillmere 12 accused of murdering Girum Mekonnen, in a Zillmere park in 2020, Brisbane Supreme Court – on Wednesday 12th March 2025 – Photo Steve Pohlner

“I am satisfied that the attackers had and used at least one bat or pole that was either wrapped in something like barbed wire or studded with something like small nails or spikes.”

Outside court Det Snr Sgt Ken Rogers of Carseldine CIB said the verdict sent a clear message to those willing to commit such acts and gang activity.

“We are very pleased with the outcome, obviously it is the culmination of four and a half years of long, hard and dedicated work by the detectives to see it all come to fruition today is very pleasing not only for the family themselves but the entire community,” he said.

“If people want to commit these sorts of offences they will be brought to justice.

“These levels of violence just can’t happen in the city of Brisbane, people have got a right to feel safe and when this happened it shook the community particularly in the Zillmere region.

“I think it draws a bit of a line in the sand in relation to gang related crime, it won’t be tolerated and if you’re involved in this type of offending then you will be held accountable.

“It’s probably fair to say nearly all of my detectives have been working closely with the family needless to say they’ve been extremely upset over a long period of time … so very happy for the family and I think I can say on behalf of them that they’re pleased with the outcome. “

Family and loved ones of Mr Mekonnen were seen hugging and crying outside court.

The two acquitted men Malat Akoi Makuach and Yohana Wal Wal declined to comment.

Along with murder Deng, Abio, Majok, Makuol, Kon, Lokolong, Kresto Wal Wal, Yaak, Gabreal Wal Wal and Santo Wal were also each found guilty of six counts of malicious act with intent, two counts of wounding and one count of assault occasioning bodily harm.

They will be sentenced on March 31.

Originally published as Ten of 12 men accused of teen’s murder at Zillmere park found guilty