The teenaged boy charged over the stabbing death of 19-year-old student Laa Chol faced Children’s Court in Melbourne this morning, News Corp reports.
The 17-year-old, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, stands accused of murdering Chol in the early hours of Saturday at a party in the city’s CBD.
It is alleged Chol was with friends at a short-stay apartment in the EQ Tower when another group arrived uninvited, and that she was stabbed after asking the gatecrashing group to leave.
The boy was arrested by homicide squad officers yesterday afternoon in Sunshine North after an extensive manhunt.
He reportedly did not speak during the court appearance. He was remanded in custody until August 14, when there will be another hearing on whether he should remain in custody.
The matter is expected to return to court on October 2.
Prosecutors say there is extensive evidence to work through before then, including dozens of hours of CCTV footage and phone contents.
Members of the city’s African-Australian community have begun a floral tribute to Chol outside EQ Tower.
— Eva Sarr (@evacsarr) July 23, 2018
Earlier, a senior member of Victorian Police strongly denied speculation that Chol’s death was related to gangs within the African-Australian community.
Yesterday, Commander Stuart Bateson told 3AW that “This is not to do with warring factions… A suggestion that Laa Chol, the victim, was a member of a gang is just not true.”
