Man charged with murder of 5-year-old Australian girl
Warning to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers: This article contains references to a deceased person. This note has been added to respect the cultural beliefs of these readers during their time of mourning.
A man has been charged with murder following the death of a five-year-old girl in Australia.
The body of the girl, identified as Little Baby Kumanjayi, a nickname given to her by her family for cultural reasons after her death, was found on Thursday after a massive police search that lasted several days.
Jefferson Lewis, 47, was charged with murder on Saturday night and was scheduled to appear in Darwin court on Tuesday.
Five people have been arrested in Alice Springs over violent riots sparked by the child’s death.
Northern Territory Police Commissioner Martin Dole announced the charges against Lewis on Sunday morning.
“This remains an extremely distressing matter and our thoughts are certainly with Kumanjayi’s family, loved ones and the wider community who have been deeply affected by these events,” he said.
Dole asked that the community respect the judicial process.
Lewis was reportedly attacked in the central Australian town before his arrest on Thursday.
Photo of Kumanjayi Little Doll used with permission from her family [Northern Territory Police]
In a statement on Thursday, Little Baby Kumanjayi’s unnamed mother said her daughter was loved and missed.
“It will be very difficult to live the rest of our lives without you,” he said.
“We know you are in heaven with the rest of your family and Jesus. Me and your brother will meet you one day.”
Little Baby Kumanjayi’s grandfather appealed for calm on Friday.
“What happened this week is not our way,” senior Yapa (Warlpiri) elder Robin Granites said in a statement.
“Our children are very precious, of course we are angry and hurt by what happened.
“This man was caught thanks to community action, and now we must let justice take its course as we take time to mourn Little Baby Kumanjayi and support our family.”
Violent riots outside Alice Spring hospital, where Lewis was being treated for his injuries, led police to take him to the city of Darwin, about 1,500 km (930 miles) north of the town.
The video shows dozens of people gathering outside the town’s hospital on Thursday night; Some are throwing bullets and the police are using tear gas.
It is seen that the protesters also attacked police vehicles, and at least one minibus was set on fire.
Dole called the riots “disgusting” and “disgusting.”
Police released further footage showing the crowd flocking to a gas station near the hospital and grabbing items from shelves before hastily leaving.
Before its release, Dole told reporters: “What you will see in this footage is not people suffering in relation to the death of Baby Kumanjayi.
“What you will see is criminal conduct, plain and simple.”
Police said the cost of property damage and items stolen from a petrol station and supermarket was estimated at more than A$180,000 ($130,000; £95,000).
Australia’s national broadcaster ABC reported that some in the crowd outside the hospital shouted that Lewis should be “avenged” and accused police of protecting him.
“Payback” is the traditional term for punishment in Aboriginal customary law in Central Australia, often practiced by elders to ensure harmony among Indigenous families and groups.
Little Baby Kumanjayi disappeared after being put to bed at a camp in an Aboriginal town near Alice Springs just before midnight last Saturday.
After his body was found, his family gave him a nickname to use during the mourning period.
This is a cultural practice among the Indigenous Warlpiri people of Australia, who believe that using the name of a loved one who has died during this period may disturb their spirit.
