Townsville Supreme Court: Murder retrial of Chante Lee White and accessory Jamie Alan McAuliffe after death of Kayla Lee Golding

A woman accused of killing her friend after finding out she had been messaging her boyfriend has pleaded not guilty in court alongside the man alleged to have helped try and cover it up.

Townsville Supreme Court: Murder retrial of Chante Lee White and accessory Jamie Alan McAuliffe after death of Kayle Lee Golding Picture: Evan Morgan

The woman who is accused of stabbing and killing a person she once called a friend has pleaded not guilty to the young woman’s murder, alongside a man who has pleaded not guilty to helping her avoid police following the alleged brutal death.

It’s alleged that Chante Lee White, 32, fatally stabbed Kayla Lee Golding in the neck on May 21, 2021 in the bedroom of her Riverway Drive apartment after accusing the woman of messaging her boyfriend Jami Alan McAuliffe.

Mr McAuliffe, 42, is accused of helping Ms White cover it up however it is not alleged he was involved in killing Ms Golding.

Crown prosecutor Monique Sheppard opened the trial on Tuesday afternoon and alleged Ms White argued with Ms Golding before she pulled out a hunting knife and left a wound 86mm in length and “at least 3cm” deep.

“Police and ambulance officers arrived, Ms Golding was observed laying on the driveway face down,” Ms Sheppard told the jury.

“A pool of blood was observed around her upper body.”

Kayla Golding.

She said the Townsville woman was transported to Townsville University Hospital and declared deceased shortly after 8:50pm.

The crown showed an image of the crime scene to the jury and said they would hear from residents who lived at the apartment building who saw Ms Golding stagger outside of the complex to the end of the driveway.

“Once she reached that final location, she no longer moved,” Ms Sheppard said.

“The crown alleges that Ms White inflicted that fatal stab wound to the left side of Ms Golding’s neck and she did so to someone she said was a friend.

“It was a deliberate act and at the time she inflicted the wound to her neck she intended to kill her or at least cause her grievous bodily harm.”

Mr McAuliffe who sat beside Ms White in the dock, but did not engage with one another, is alleged to have helped clean up Ms Golding’s blood in the apartment after the alleged stabbing.

“Mr McAuliffe directed a critical witness to provide a false statement to police as to what occurred,” Ms Sheppard said.

“He assisted Ms White in hiding from police until they were apprehended on May 23, 2021.”

Chante Lee White pleads not guilty to murder and Jamie Alan McAuliffe pleads not guilty to accessory after murder.

The jury were told the defendant was found by police hiding at a West End apartment.

Ms Sheppard told the jury they would hear from a range of witnesses that included associates of the defendants, neighbours, officers involved in the investigation and a woman who was in the bedroom at the time of the alleged fatal stabbing.

The crown said it’s expected that a key witness will reveal Ms White confronted Ms Golding about messaging Mr McAuliffe and said “I’ll bash you right here now, I have a knife” before holding the knife to the woman’s neck.

Ms White is represented by Harvey Walters instructed by Rennick Lawyers and Mr White is represented by Dane Marley instructed by Legal Aid Queensland.

The trial which is expected to go for six days will be in the hands of six female and six male jurors and held before Justice David North in Townsville Supreme Court.

His Honour warned the jury that the proceedings were in fact a retrial in which “none of the parties had control over”.

The trial will resume Wednesday morning.

Originally published as Townsville Supreme Court: Murder retrial of Chante Lee White and accessory Jamie Alan McAuliffe after death of Kayla Lee Golding