Yiel Deng Gatluak: Koang Wuordol extradited from Victoria, Alice Springs pair charged over death

Unrelated gruesome beheading videos and other “graphic” content have been sent to major crime investigators after the body of Yiel ‘Yoal’ Deng Gatluak was found on a dirt road on New Year’s Day, police say. LATEST.

Koang Wuordol, 22, faced the Melbourne Bail and Remand Court on Sunday afternoon following his arrest by Victorian police on Saturday. PICTURE: NCA Newswire / Nicki Connolly

Gruesome beheading videos and other “graphic” content have been sent to major crime investigators after the body of Yiel ‘Yoal’ Deng Gatluak was found on a dirt road on New Year’s Day.

Assistant Commissioner Travis Wurst on Monday confirmed to media that a 17 and 21-year-old man had been charged with being an accessory after the fact.

Murder charges are expected to be laid against 22-year-old Koang Wuordol in relation to 19-year-old Mr Gatluak’s death.

Wuordol was extradited from Melbourne to Alice Springs on Monday, and formal charges have not yet been laid.

Assistant Commissioner Travis Wurst on Monday confirmed to media that a 17 and 21-year-old man had been charged with being an accessory after the fact.

Mr Wurst said the teenager and two men were expected to face Alice Springs Local Court on Monday.

He said the investigation was ongoing, with police now searching for a short video believed to be shared among a small group of people which allegedly shows an assault on Mr Gatluak.

“Northern Territory police are yet to see that video, so its veracity is yet to be determined,” Mr Wurst said.

“It may or may not exist.

Yiel Gatluak was born in Australia to South Sudanese parents and was raised in Melbourne's east and went to school in Dandenong. Supplied: Mary Riek

“But I would ask anyone within the Northern Territory community, particularly [the] Alice Springs community, if you have access to this video, please contact the Northern Territory police.”

“This is obviously an important line of inquiry in relation to our ongoing investigation to make sure that there are no stones left unturned in relation to bringing these persons to justice.”

Mr Wurst said it was unknown if the video was filmed by the three people in custody or by a third party.

22-year-old Koang Wuordol, extradited over the murder of Sudanese teenager Yiel Gatluak, boards a Qantas flight at Melbourne Airport. PICTURE: NCA Newswire / Nicki Connolly

However, he said investigators had been sent numerous videos by the public which showed scenes of “graphic” violence from overseas.

He asked that those unrelated, older, videos not to be sent through.

“If it’s relating to say, for example a beheading – that is not what we’re looking for at all,” he said.

“Any of those videos that [are] currently circulating are not going to be, will not be, of any assistance to police whatsoever.”

Mr Wurst was unable to say if Mr Gatluak’s alleged murder was part of a trend of offenders filming assaults or violence.

Koang Wuordol arrives in Alice Springs airport following his extradition from Melbourne. Murder charges are expected to be laid against the 22-year-old in relation to 19-year-old Yiel ‘Yoal’ Deng Gatluak’s death.

An autopsy report has confirmed the 19-year-old’s cause of death was from blunt force trauma, however Mr Wurst did not confirm if weapons were used in the alleged fatal assault.

He said a number of items that were found around the 19-year-old’s body were seized for forensic examination.

Mr Wurst said the victim and the three co-accused were all known to each other.

The charges come 15 days after Mr Gatluak’s body was found on Undoolya Road on New Year’s Day, and more than six days after the younger pair were arrested in Alice Springs.

The alleged murder accomplices, and a 20-year-old man, were held for 144 hours without a charge.

The Territory is the only place in Australia without a 48-hour limit to pre-charge detention.

The 20-year-old man was released at midday on Saturday, with Mr Wurst saying he posed no risk to the public.

Mr Wurst defended the lengthy detention, saying: “Territory police know the law, they apply the law, and the law is quite clear on what we can and can’t do”.

“Any issue in relation to that detention will be a matter for the court in due course.”

Charges were not formalised against 22-year-old Wuordol, who faced Melbourne Bail and Remand Court on Sunday, following his arrest by Victorian police the day before.

Three people are expected to be charged after 19-year-old Yiel ‘Yoal’ Deng Gatluak’s body was found on Undoolya Road on New Year’s Day. Supplied: Mary Riek

Mr Wurst said Wuordol was identified as a person of interest “the early stages” of the homicide investigation, and police were monitoring his movements as he fled the Territory to meet with “associates” in Melbourne.

Loved ones of the slain teenager have celebrated him as a “wonderful and a loving son, brother, nephew, uncle, cousin and a true friend to many”. 

“His heart was pure and he was always happy and kind to everyone. He treated everyone with so much kindness,” a GoFundMe page, set up on behalf of the family, read.

Originally published as Yiel Deng Gatluak: Koang Wuordol extradited from Victoria, Alice Springs pair charged over death