Deng Chol Majek: Everything we know about the murder of Walsall hotel worker Rhiannon Whyte at Bescot stadium station as 'callous' asylum seeker sentenced

Rhiannon, from Walsall, who worked at Walsall's Park Inn Raddison Hotel, near Bescot Stadium, was brutally murdered after being stabbed 23 times with a screwdriver on the night of Sunday, October 20, 2024.

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The jury took just two hours and five minutes to come back with a guilty verdict, convicting Majek of the fatal and 'callous' attack that left Rhiannon, the mother of a five-year-old son, dead.

No motive for the killing was ever given during the two-week trial, with Ms Whyte's sister, Alexandra Whyte, saying that the year since her sister's death has been "hell on earth."

Today (Jan 20), Majek was handed a life sentence for the killing, which the family described as 'cowardly', as he continued to protest his innocence. We look back over the case that shocked our region:

The night of the attack

During the trial, the jury was told of how Rhiannon had finished her shift at the hotel, which at the time was being used to house asylum seekers, by 11pm, before making a short walk to Bescot Stadium train station, only a short distance away, to catch her train home.

Unbeknownst to her, Majek had been closely stalking her.

Once he caught up to Rhiannon on the platform of the station, Majek launched his horrific attack, stabbing Rhiannon repeatedly before hurrying away.

In the trial, the court heard how Rhiannon had been on the phone at the time of the attack, with her friend describing the terrible screams that she had heard before the line was dropped, leading to her calling the police.

Minutes later, the train that Rhiannon was due to catch pulled into the station, where the driver saw Rhiannon injured on the platform and bleeding from her head.

CCTV footage

During the trial, the court was shown CCTV footage of the moments following the attack, in which Majek was seen leaving the station, and disposing of Rhiannon's phone into a nearby stream, then visiting a nearby shop to buy alcohol and returning to the hotel.

He was also seen in his hotel room singing and dancing.

Rhiannon died in hospital three days later from a 'catastrophic brain injury', surrounded by her friends and family.

CCTV enquiries led police to the hotel, where staff members identified Majek from the distinctive clothing he was wearing.

He was then arrested in his room, where officers seized a number of items, including the jacket that Majek could be seen wearing on CCTV, and a pair of sandals.

Both items had Rhiannon's blood on them.

Trial

During the trial, Majek repeatedly insisted that he was not the figure caught on CCTV heading towards the platform at Bescot Stadium station, despite the figure on the CCTV footage wearing an identical hooded jacket to his own.

Majek claimed that "anyone could buy one" and that the figure was not him.

He also alleged the overwhelming DNA evidence was not true, and that there had been no blood on his clothes or footwear.

In her closing speech, prosecutor Michelle Heeley KC, described Majek's dismissal of DNA evidence, and his claims not to be the man in the CCTV wearing the distinctive clothing as "laughable", and an insult to the relatives of Rhiannon's family.

Speaking about his behaviour following the murder, Ms Heeley said: "He is celebrating, his mood has changed from that prolonged scowl before the murder, to dancing and joy after the murder.

"It is utterly callous."

The trial also heard of how Majek had been reported to security at the Park Inn hotel after "spookily" staring at three female members of staff for prolonged periods on October 20 of last year.

It was also said that while no motive was found for the killing, Majek had "brushed past" Rhiannon earlier in the evening of the murder as he left the hotel to smoke.

Deng Chol Majek

Only a few details were known about Deng Chol Majek's journey from Africa to Walsall; however, he had claimed that he had left a pregnant wife in war-torn Sudan while fleeing from a soldier who wanted to marry his sister.

Majek's age was also brought into question after he claimed that he was only 19 years of age.

However, during the trial, jurors were told that a crime report filed in Germany alleged that Majek "when drunk, had kicked the driver's side door of a train".

While the German police investigation into the incident was discontinued, the crime report listed his date of birth as January 1, 1998, meaning that he would have been 26 when he killed Rhiannon, and 27 when he was convicted.

In the trial, Majek spoke through a Sudanese dialect Arabic interpreter that he had left Sudan in April 2022, aged 16, going on to say that he first travelled to Libya, then travelled to Italy, where he was "rescued" from the sea.

After spending a few months in the country, he was then "taken to Germany", and claimed to have a daughter whose date of birth he did not know.

He then travelled to England via a small boat, before killing Rhiannon less than three months later.

When asked by his barrister, Gurdeep Garcha KC, why he left Sudan, he said: "I had a problem with a person, and because of that, I had to leave the south of Sudan to the north of Sudan.

"This person wanted to marry my sister, which we refused, and then he started threatening us, and we had to leave the area."

He had tried to convince jurors that he could not hold a conversation in English, despite a housing officer based at the hotel reporting that Majek was "in his face" and capable of protesting his innocence in English during a row over unauthorised smoking.

Rhiannon Whyte

Rhiannon Whyte, aged 27, from Walsall, was described by family members as a 'smart, kind, funny, thoughtful, caring and hardworking' woman, with Rhiannon's sister, Alexandra, saying that "he was a piece of all of us."

She worked at the Park Inn hotel, which at the time was being used to house asylum seekers, where she helped to clean and hand out food.

In a poignant tribute given by Rhiannon's sister on behalf of the family, Alexandra described her sister as having a 'beautiful and bright future', and that nothing could describe the unimaginable pain of her loss.

She said: "Rhiannon had a beautiful and bright future. She was smart, kind, funny, thoughtful, caring, hardworking, and most importantly, she belonged to us all.

"She was a piece of all of us."

Alexandra described having to explain Rhiannon's loss to her five-year-old son, telling of the pain that was left when he was told of his mother's death.

She said: "I am raising Rhiannon's son, and I cannot express the unimaginable pain of having to sit down and explain to a five-year-old child that one of the people he loves more than anything will never be coming home.

"The screams of pain from this beautiful little boy will haunt me for the rest of my life, but we will never let Majek haunt him. This child should never have had to experience the pain and misery that he has caused."

Alexandra said that the verdict will not be the end of Rhiannon's story, adding that the family will continue to advocate and evoke change in her name.

She said: "Getting justice for Rhiannon is not the ending of her story; we will continue to advocate to evoke change in her name.

"Many have tried to imply this is about immigration, but these are the choices of one man, not an ethnic group."

Alexandra quoted Rhiannon's favourite Disney character, Stitch, from the movie Lilo and Stitch, ending: "Ohana means family, and family means no one gets left behind or forgotten. Rhiannon will never be forgotten."

Majek was convicted of the murder of Rhiannon Whyte and the possession of a screwdriver as an offensive weapon.

Impact on family 

Victim impact statements were heard from Rhiannon's mother Donna who said her life ended with her daughter's.

She said 'The pain I am feeling now is excruciable. Rhiannon will not get to see her little boy growing up thanks to your explicable action."

In a reference to a video which showed Majek dancing in the minute's after her daughter's death she said: "Let me see you dancing now."

The victim's sister, Alex Whyte, has told the court of the impact it has had on her family - calling Majek's actions 'cowardly'. She said: “On Sunday, October 20, 2024, we were all given a life sentence when this 'person' conducted his vicious and pitiless assault on a terrified and defenceless young woman, whom he claims never to have spoken to or noticed.

"The pain and suffering we have experienced since the horrific attack is something we still have to address every day, and I cannot see a time when this will not be the case. Knowing Rhiannon as we did, we are all acutely aware of her beautiful nature.

"She was smart, kind, funny, thoughtful, caring, hardworking and most importantly, she belonged to us. She was a piece of all of us and the best of us. A mother, daughter, sister, aunt, niece, cousin, granddaughter, and friend to so many.

"Being alive to this only makes it harder to comprehend and accept that her bright future has been stolen from her and all of us so brutally. The impact of her loss to those who love her is immeasurable. To Majek, Rhiannon showed so much more courage than you.

"You continue to show no remorse and to take no responsibility for your cowardly actions. We still don’t know or understand why you stalked, hunted and preyed upon Rhiannon. Cornering her before unleashing your vicious and unprovoked attack. For what purpose?

"Throughout this agonising court process, you have given us nothing. Why her? What had she done to you to deserve this callous treatment?”

Protesting his innocence until the bitter end 

During today's sentencing hearing (January 30),  the defence has told the court that a pre-sentence report was prepared by the probation service ahead of sentence stated that Majek insists he is innocent.

Gurdeep Garcha KC said: “When he was interviewed by the probation officer in late November last year, the defendant denied that he was guilty of the offences of which the jury has convicted him.

“The position today is that the defendant maintains his denial, he maintains his innocence.

“In these circumstances, we offer no mitigation in relation to any aspect of acknowledgement, insight, regret or remorse.”

Sentencing 

At a packed Coventry Crown Court this morning (Friday) he was jailed for life with a minimum term of, 29 years with judge Justice Michael Soole saying he could find no mitigation for the killer's actions. 

He will serve at least 27 years and 264 days after time spent on remand is taken off.

Speaking to the family after passing sentence, the judge said no words he could say would compensate for their loss but they had his deepest sympathy.

He praised their dignity and calm throughout the trial and at sentencing, with the court observing his request for silence as he passed down sentence, although family members were visibly upset.

The sentencing was previously pushed back due to disputes over Majek's age.

Today, Judge Soole addressed the issue of his age, which was given as 19 at trial but said the evidence is that he was 26 at the time of the murder.