Girlfriend’s heartbreaking tribute after teen’s stabbing death

The court heard the teenager claimed he “attacked the deceased without provocation and stabbed him in the groin area.”

Judge James Viney said police claimed the 15-year-old boy was identified by witnesses at the scene.

“Police believe the teenager played a leading role as the only person who used a knife to stab the deceased,” Viney said.

Viney said police also alleged the boy, who the court heard was allegedly wearing a black ski mask at the time of the attack, admitted stabbing the 17-year-old when he surrendered to police Monday night.

“I stabbed another kid in the leg,” Viney allegedly told police.

When asked who was stabbed, the 15-year-old boy allegedly identified the victim, Viney said.

The confession was allegedly recorded on the police’s body-worn camera.

The court heard police used a self-administered swab to take a DNA sample of the child and take photographs of parts of the child’s body. Police believe forensic tests will also show the 17-year-old’s DNA under the accused killer’s hands and nails.

The 15-year-old boy was taken into custody to appear in court on January 23.

Locals laid flowers at the Bruce Purser Reserve on Tuesday morning, while detectives spoke to young people at the scene. Children in the surrounding schools were escorted through the doors by staff.

Some local residents expressed concern about the increase in violence against young people in the area. A resident of Tania, who asked that only her first name be used, said that as the population of the area increased with the opening of the Metro, there was an increase in crimes.

“A tragic event [but] I’m not surprised. “I drive by here once a week and see evidence of drugs, paraphernalia and things like that,” he said.

“This place is secluded, close to schools, frequented by many children… I see them smoking, socializing. I have heard heated arguments here.”

Crawton Strike Force was deployed to investigate the child’s death.

Hills Police District commander Inspector Naomi Moore described the teenager’s death as “senseless”. He said a group of two to three young men approached the victim and his friend at the reserve on Caballo Street before pulling out a knife.

“I have 17-year-old children at home. This has affected the core of society. I have no other words but this is a tragedy and it is senseless,” he told the media on Monday night.

Moore said several female witnesses assisted the 17-year-old during the “terribly challenging” situation.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said he was “deeply saddened” by the teenager’s death and offered his “sincere condolences” to his family and friends.

“This is an unimaginable loss and the entire community will feel the impact,” Minns said.

Crown prosecutor Michelle Rowland said she was “deeply saddened” to learn of the child’s “tragic” death.

“My thoughts and deepest condolences are with the young boy’s family at this extremely difficult time,” Rowland said in a statement.

“There is no place for these senseless acts of violence in our society and I know this news will be particularly distressing for local families.”

The teenager’s death follows efforts to tackle knife crime in NSW.

In June 2024, the NSW government passed “Jack’s Law”, named after 17-year-old Queenslander Jack Beasley, who was stabbed to death in December 2019.

This allows police to stop and scan people with hand-held metal detector “wands” in designated areas where violent crimes involving guns have occurred in the past 12 months.

Police began using these powers in December and had screened 13,422 people, found 193 weapons and laid 222 charges by the end of June, according to the force’s annual report.

More than 2000 of these sweeps took place at Mount Druitt in Sydney’s west. Daily sweeps were conducted following the death of 19-year-old Zac McRae at a suburban bus stop on Aug. 27.

Data from the state’s Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research shows how the number of teenagers accused of murder or stabbing fluctuates.

Knife murders where the person involved is under 18 have peaked at 12 murders in 2023-24, surpassing the 11 murders recorded in 2005-06. In 2024-25, this number drops to three.

The number of under-18s charged with non-domestic knife attacks has risen to 59 in the last two years, but remains below the peaks in the reporting years 2009-10 (110) and 2020-21 (85).