Man Pleads Not Guilty to Murder of Asylum Hotel Employee

An 18-year-old man, Deng Chol Majek, has denied the murder of a woman who was employed at the asylum hotel where he was residing. Mr. Majek is accused of stabbing Rhiannon Skye Whyte at Bescot Stadium station in Walsall. He had been living at the nearby Park Inn Hotel, the workplace of 27-year-old Ms. Whyte. Ms. Whyte passed away in hospital on October 23, three days after sustaining her injuries. Mr. Majek, an asylum seeker, appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Friday via video link from HMP Manchester. Seated behind a wooden desk and wearing a blue top, he responded with “not guilty, I did not kill her” when asked to enter his plea. The court heard that the defendant, originally from South Sudan and communicating through an Arabic interpreter, denied being present at the scene. He also denied a second charge of unlawfully possessing a screwdriver at the railway station. Members of Ms. Whyte’s family were present in the public gallery to observe the proceedings, which lasted for approximately 20 minutes. Mr. Majek has been remanded in custody until a pre-trial hearing scheduled for February 7, with the trial anticipated to commence in 2025.