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A man has been found guilty of murdering a hotel worker in an attack at Walsall’s Bescot Stadium railway station in October last year.
Deng Chol Majek, a Sudanese asylum seeker, was staying at the Park Inn hotel in Walsall when he was accused of killing Rhiannon Skye Whyte, 27, on 20 October 2024.
The jury deliberated for just over two hours before reaching a unanimous verdict. Majek did not show any emotion as he was convicted, appearing placid as the jury foreman and Judge Soole spoke.
During the trial at Wolverhampton crown court, the prosecution described how Majek, who claimed he was 19, carried out a “vicious and frenzied attack”, stabbing Whyte 23 times with a screwdriver – 11 of which penetrated her skull – leaving her for dead.
Whyte had been working at the hotel, cleaning and serving food, for about three months at the time of the attack.
During the trial, the jury heard from Whyte’s colleagues and a friend, Emma Cowley, who was on the phone with her minutes before the attack. She told the court that a normal conversation had descended into screams.
“Originally I didn’t hear anything and then I heard a scream. It was a really high-pitched, terrified, in-pain scream,” she said.
The prosecution said a number of Majek’s belongings seized by police, including a jacket, a ring and sandals, were found to have Whyte’s blood on them.
“The defendant’s fingernails were checked, he had DNA under them – the DNA belonged to Rhiannon Whyte,” the prosecuting lawyer, Michelle Heeley KC, told the court.
CCTV footage also showed Majek following Whyte to the train station, the prosecution argued. After the attack, he was shown throwing Whyte’s phone into the River Tame, before buying a beer from a local store and walking back to the hotel.
Jurors were also shown a clip of Majek in the hotel car park, dancing and drinking. In the background, the blue flashing lights of emergency services are visible.
In his evidence to the trial, Tyler English, a housing officer who saw Majek after the attack, told the court he was “drinking, smoking and just chatting amongst his group of friends” in the hotel car park.
The group were “almost like having a good time in a sense,” he said.
Throughout the trial, Majek insisted he was “staying in the hotel, outside” at the time of the attack, and had no reason to harm or kill Whyte.
Majek also confirmed he was married and had a child. He said he travelled from Sudan to Libya, Italy and Germany before arriving in the UK in July 2024. He told the jury a mistake on his identity document in Germany incorrectly classified him as being 27.
Following the guilty verdict, Carla Harris, a senior crown prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Rhiannon Whyte should have been able to go to work and come home safely – but Deng Chol Majek robbed her of her life and future.
“He attacked her for no reason, and callously left her bleeding on a station platform. He then appeared to rejoice in his actions, having been caught laughing and dancing on footage an hour later.
“Although the stabbing itself was not captured on CCTV, the prosecution case against Majek included DNA evidence, witness testimony and CCTV showing him stalking Rhiannon to the station and returning to the hotel in his distinctive bloodied clothing. He was also the only person to enter and leave the platform during the time of the attack. All of this allowed the jury to convict him of his crimes.
“Although nothing can bring Rhiannon back, I hope these convictions provide some sense of justice to her family and friends. The CPS is determined to bring violent offenders to justice wherever there is the evidence to do so.”
After the verdict, Soole told the court that Majek’s real age must be verified through testing before he can be sentenced, and as such did not set a date, telling the jury: “The sentencing will have to be postponed. Your task is now over.”
