A man has been found guilty of murdering a hotel worker in an attack at Bescot Stadium railway station in Walsall in October last year. Deng Chol Majek, a Sudanese asylum seeker, was staying at the Park Inn hotel in Walsall when he killed 27-year-old Rhiannon Skye Whyte on 20 October 2024.
The jury at Wolverhampton Crown Court deliberated for just over two hours before returning a unanimous verdict. Majek showed no emotion as the verdict was read. Prosecutors described a “vicious and frenzied attack”, in which Whyte was stabbed 23 times with a screwdriver, with 11 wounds penetrating her skull.
The court heard that Whyte had worked at the hotel for about three months. A friend, Emma Cowley, who was on the phone with her minutes before the attack, described hearing a “high-pitched, terrified, in-pain scream”. Evidence included DNA under Majek’s fingernails matching Whyte, and her blood on his belongings. CCTV showed Majek following Whyte to the station, then throwing her phone into the River Tame and later buying beer.
After the attack, Majek was seen in the hotel car park dancing and drinking, with blue emergency lights visible in the background. A housing officer, Tyler English, described him as “drinking, smoking and just chatting amongst his group of friends”, appearing to be “having a good time”.
In his defence, Majek claimed he was elsewhere at the time and had no reason to harm Whyte. He said he had arrived in the UK in July 2024 after travelling from Sudan through Libya, Italy and Germany. The court was told his real age needs to be verified before sentencing, which has been postponed.
Senior crown prosecutor Carla Harris 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.” Whyte’s family described the last few months as “hell on earth”, with her sister Alex saying she had to tell Rhiannon’s five-year-old son what had happened to his mother.
