Deng Chol Majek, a Sudanese asylum seeker, has been found guilty of murdering 27-year-old hotel worker Rhiannon Whyte at Bescot Stadium railway station in Walsall on 20 October 2024. The jury at Wolverhampton Crown Court reached a unanimous verdict after just over two hours of deliberation.
Prosecutors described the attack as a “vicious and frenzied” assault in which Majek stabbed Whyte 23 times with a screwdriver, with 11 wounds penetrating her skull. Whyte had been working at the Park Inn hotel for about three months, cleaning and serving food.
CCTV footage showed Majek following Whyte to the station. After the attack, he threw her phone into the River Tame, bought a beer, and returned to the hotel, where he was seen dancing and drinking in the car park while emergency services responded. Police found Whyte’s blood on Majek’s jacket, ring, and sandals, and her DNA under his fingernails.
During the trial, Majek claimed he was elsewhere at the time and had no reason to harm Whyte. He said he arrived in the UK in July 2024 after travelling from Sudan through Libya, Italy, and Germany. He disputed his age, claiming to be 19, but an identity document from Germany listed him as 27.
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. He attacked her for no reason, and callously left her bleeding on a station platform.”
Whyte’s family described the past months as “hell on earth”. Her sister Alex Whyte spoke of having to tell Rhiannon’s five-year-old son about his mother’s death. Sentencing was postponed pending verification of Majek’s age.
