Man guilty of murdering Walsall hotel worker in a 'vicious and frenzied attack'

A man has been found guilty of murdering a hotel worker in an attack at Walsall's Bescot Stadium railway station in October last year.

- Neha Gohil Raphael Boyd

Deng Chol Majek did not show any emotion when he was convicted

Deng Chol Majek, a Sudanese asylum seeker, was staying at the Park Inn hotel in Walsall when he killed Rhiannon Skye Whyte, 27, on 20 October 2024.

The jury deliberated for just over two hours before reaching a unanimous verdict. Majek did not show any emotion as he was convicted, appearing placid as the jury foreperson and Judge Soole spoke.

During the trial at Wolverhampton crown court, the prosecution described how Majek, who claimed he was 19, carried out a "vicious and frenzied attack", stabbing Whyte 23 times with a screwdriver - 11 times penetrating her skull - leaving her for dead.

Whyte had been working at the hotel, cleaning and serving food at the time of the attack.

During the trial, the jury heard from Whyte's colleagues and a friend, Emma Cowley, who was on the phone with her before the attack. She told the court that a normal conversation had descended into "a really high-pitched, terrified, in-pain scream".