Overview

• Prosecutor Michelle Heeley KC opened the case at Wolverhampton Crown Court after a jury was sworn, outlining the Crown’s timeline and evidence.
• Jurors were told CCTV allegedly shows Deng Chol Majek following hotel worker Rhiannon Skye Whyte from the Park Inn to Bescot Stadium station before an attack with a screwdriver.
• The court heard Ms Whyte was stabbed 23 times, mostly to the head, with a wound to the brain stem cited as the cause of death three days later in hospital.
• Prosecutors said items seized from the defendant, including a jacket, ring and sandals, bore the victim’s blood, and that her DNA was found under his fingernails.
• The jury was told CCTV captured the suspect returning to the hotel after disposing of the victim’s phone in a river, with witnesses describing him as dancing and laughing; he also faces a charge of possessing a screwdriver.