The city of Walsall, in the West Midlands, has been shaken by the conviction of Deng Chol Majek, an asylum seeker from Sudan, for the brutal murder of hotel worker Rhiannon Skye Whyte. The verdict, delivered at Wolverhampton Crown Court on October 24, 2025, concluded a harrowing two-week trial that laid bare the chilling details of the attack and its aftermath—a crime that has left a family devastated and a community searching for answers.
On the night of October 20, 2024, the 27-year-old Whyte finished her late shift at the Park Inn Hotel, where she had worked for only three months. As she left the hotel to catch a train home from the nearby Bescot Stadium station, she was unaware that Majek—who also lived at the hotel, which was being used as an asylum center—was following her. CCTV footage presented at trial showed Majek trailing Whyte from a distance, his behavior earlier in the day already raising concerns among hotel staff. Several had reported him for “spookily” staring at female employees, including Whyte, in a manner described as “intimidating, scary and spooky,” according to BBC News.
As Whyte made her way across the bridge to platform two, she was on a call with her childhood friend, Emma Cowley. In court, Cowley recounted the last moments she heard: two “terrified, high pitched” screams and a long breath, before the line went dead. It was on that deserted platform that Majek launched his attack, stabbing Whyte 23 times with a screwdriver—19 of those wounds to her head, one of which inflicted a fatal brain-stem injury. The murder weapon was never recovered.
Just minutes after the assault, Whyte was found slumped in a shelter by the driver and guard of a train that pulled into the station. Despite being rushed to hospital, she never regained consciousness, dying three days later. According to Sky News, Majek, who stands about ten inches taller than Whyte, was next seen on CCTV walking to the Caldmore Green area to buy beer. Footage captured him apparently wiping blood from his trousers. Less than 90 minutes after the attack, he returned to the hotel, changed out of his bloodstained flip-flops, and was seen dancing and laughing with other residents in the car park—within sight of emergency vehicles responding to the crime scene.
The prosecution, led by Michelle Heeley KC, described Majek’s post-murder behavior as “utterly callous.” In her closing speech, Heeley said, “He is celebrating: his mood has changed from that prolonged scowl in the cafe before the murder to dancing and joy after the murder. It is utterly callous.” This sentiment was echoed by Detective Chief Inspector Paul Attwell of British Transport Police, who remarked, “It was a brutal, cowardly and unprovoked attack on a vibrant, selfless young woman who had her whole life ahead of her. It is truly shocking to me that at no point has Majek ever shown any remorse for taking Rhiannon’s life in such a violent and cold-blooded way. In fact, he has appeared completely unbothered—bored even—throughout this trial, much to the distress of Rhiannon’s poor family, who have had to face her killer in court every day.”
Throughout the trial, Majek denied all charges. He insisted he was not at the station during the attack, claimed the CCTV and DNA evidence were incorrect, and dismissed the prosecution’s case as “laughable.” Yet, the jury was unconvinced, returning a unanimous guilty verdict after just over two hours of deliberation. The court also heard that Majek, who claims to be 19, may actually be older; discrepancies in his age records from previous asylum claims in Germany prompted the judge, Mr Justice Soole, to order an age assessment report ahead of sentencing.
For Whyte’s family, the verdict brought little solace. Her mother, Siobhan Whyte, broke down in tears as the decision was announced, while her sister Alexandra, now raising Whyte’s five-year-old son, delivered an emotional statement outside the courthouse. “Deng Chol Majek stalked, hunted and then preyed on our defenceless Rhiannon, before cornering her and unleashing a vicious attack—and for what purpose?” Alexandra said, as reported by BBC News. “She was at work, helping people as she always did, and he chose her for no purpose other than cold-blooded self-gratification.”
Alexandra continued, “He took so many opportunities from Rhiannon, she will never watch her son grow up, we will never watch her marry, build a family, buy her first house or learn to drive.” She emphasized the family’s resolve to keep Whyte’s memory alive and advocate for positive change in her name. “Many have tried to imply this is about immigration, but these are the choices of one man, not an ethnic group,” she added, pushing back against attempts to politicize the tragedy.
Whyte’s mother, Siobhan, was adamant about the need for justice to be served in the UK. “I’m not against asylum seekers. But he’s taken my daughter away. He doesn’t deserve to be sent back to his own country. [He should] serve his time here, every day of his life,” she told The Guardian. Alexandra echoed the sentiment, stating, “There is no amount of time that will ever, ever equate to what we’ve lost.”
The impact on Whyte’s young son has been particularly profound. Alexandra described the pain of having to explain to a five-year-old that his mother would never return. “The screams of pain from this beautiful little boy will haunt me for the rest of my life, but we will never let Majek haunt him. This child should never have had to experience the pain and misery that he has caused,” she said, according to Sky News.
In court, Mr Justice Soole commended the Whyte family for their “quiet dignity” during what he called a “most demanding” trial. “No one sitting in this court can have failed to be struck by the quiet dignity that you have all shown through this most demanding 10 days in this court. It is unimaginable for those who have not had to go through that. I thank you and admire you for it.”
As the community grapples with the horror of Whyte’s murder, the case has also sparked broader conversations about safety, the responsibilities of asylum accommodation providers, and the need to avoid scapegoating entire communities for the actions of individuals. Prosecutors and Whyte’s family have repeatedly stressed that this was the act of one man, not a reflection of any group or policy.
Majek remains in custody, with sentencing scheduled for December 15, 2025. The court awaits victim personal statements and the results of the age assessment before deciding his fate. For Whyte’s family and those who knew her, the wounds left by her loss will not heal quickly—but their determination to honor her memory endures.
In the wake of this tragedy, the story of Rhiannon Skye Whyte stands as a painful reminder of the fragility of life and the strength of those left behind.
