WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains images and names of a deceased person.
A trial is set to commence for four individuals accused of murdering Cassius Turvey, a 15-year-old Noongar Yamatji boy. He passed away in a Perth hospital ten days following an incident on October 13, 2022. The accused—Bodie Lee Palmer, Mitchell Colin Forth, Jack Steven James Brearley, and Aleesha Louise Gilmore—have pleaded not guilty to the murder charge. The trial will unfold over 11 weeks in the West Australian Supreme Court, presided over by Chief Justice Peter Quinlan, with numerous witnesses expected to testify.
In addition to the murder charges, the group faces further allegations, including unlawfully detaining and assaulting another boy days prior to Cassius’s death. A fifth accused, Ethan Robert MacKenzie, will stand trial alongside the others, while Gilmore has denied her involvement in unlawfully detaining that same victim.
Cassius Turvey is fondly remembered as a devoted son and an inspiring figure among his peers, having launched his own lawn-mowing business and spoken at WA’s parliament at just 11 years old. The accused had previous denied the murder charges in earlier court proceedings in 2023.
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