On a chilly October night in 2024, the quiet of Walsall’s Bescot Stadium railway station was shattered by a brutal act that would soon capture national attention. The events that unfolded, as detailed in multiple reports from BBC, Birmingham Mail, and Express & Star, have since become the focus of a high-profile murder trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court, laying bare a story that is as harrowing as it is perplexing.
According to prosecutors, Deng Chol Majek, a Sudanese asylum seeker who claimed to be 19 years old, is accused of following 27-year-old hotel worker Rhiannon Skye Whyte from the Park Inn hotel—where both lived and worked—to the nearby railway station on the night of October 20, 2024. The Park Inn, at the time, was serving as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers, with Ms Whyte reportedly helping with cleaning and food service for about three months.
The prosecution alleges that Majek waited for Ms Whyte to finish her shift, observing her throughout the evening and changing into distinctive clothing—"a two-tone grey jacket, dark on the body and light on the arms, black cargo trousers and flip-flops," as described by Detective Sergeant Rebecca Haywood in court. CCTV footage, played for the jury, tracked Majek’s movements: from lingering in the reception area, to following Ms Whyte as she left the hotel, and finally trailing her to the station platform.
At approximately 11:13 p.m., Ms Whyte was seen on CCTV entering the deserted platform, with Majek closing the gap behind her. Prosecutor Michelle Heeley KC recounted the chilling timeline: Ms Whyte was on a call with a friend when the line went silent, punctuated by two screams. The call abruptly ended at 11:19 p.m.—the moment, prosecutors say, Majek launched his attack.
The violence was staggering. Ms Whyte suffered 23 stab wounds, 19 of which were to her head. One wound was so severe it pierced her brain stem. She was found slumped inside the platform shelter at 11:22 p.m. by a train driver, just minutes after the assault. Despite desperate efforts by a train guard and a hotel employee, Ms Whyte never regained consciousness and died three days later, on October 23, 2024, from her injuries.
What followed the attack only deepened the mystery and horror of the case. Prosecutors presented to the jury a nine-second mobile phone video, filmed in the early hours of October 21, 2024, by another asylum seeker. The footage, shown by Detective Sergeant Haywood, depicted Majek dancing near the Park Inn Hotel—with the blue flashing lights of emergency vehicles, summoned to save Ms Whyte, visible in the background. When asked about the speaker playing music in the video, Det Sgt Haywood confirmed, "The defendant brought that to the location." The same video captured a group dancing in the car park, a surreal scene so soon after such a tragedy.
But the evidence didn’t end there. CCTV and mobile phone footage presented to the court painted a detailed picture of Majek’s actions after the stabbing. Just minutes after the attack, he was seen throwing Ms Whyte’s mobile phone off a bridge into the River Tame at 11:19 p.m. Then, rather than returning directly to the hotel, he walked to a local shop in Caldmore, West Bromwich Street, where he was captured on camera buying three cans of extra-strong Belgian beer. He was observed walking along several roads, including Broadway West and Alexandra Road, before finally returning to the Park Inn at 12:13 a.m., entering a third-floor room wearing flip-flops and later leaving wearing white trainers.
Inside the hotel, further footage showed Majek walking through the corridor with his arms raised, and again, seen dancing and laughing in the early hours, as detailed by Express & Star. Prosecutor Michelle Heeley KC told the court, "He left her bleeding to death and then casually went back to his hotel. We say you can be sure he is guilty of murder." The prosecution emphasized that Majek appeared "clearly excited about what he had done," referencing the footage of him dancing and laughing following the attack.
Throughout the trial, the question of Majek’s age has also surfaced. While he insists he is 19, the prosecution has cast doubt on this claim, though the focus has remained squarely on the events of that night and the overwhelming video evidence. The court heard that security cameras covering the platforms at Bescot Stadium station were not working at the time of the attack, a fact that has frustrated investigators and left some gaps in the timeline, but not enough to obscure the sequence of events established by other cameras and eyewitness accounts.
Jurors were shown footage from cameras inside and outside the hotel, the car park, the bridge over the River Tame, and the footbridge leading to the platforms. The prosecution’s case relied heavily on these visuals, as well as testimony from Detective Sergeant Haywood, who described in detail the clothing Majek wore and the movements he made. The chilling detail of Ms Whyte’s final moments—her desperate call to a friend, the sudden silence, the screams—was corroborated by both CCTV and phone records.
Majek has denied both the murder and the charge of possessing an offensive weapon, namely the screwdriver used in the attack. He has also denied any intent behind his actions following the stabbing, including the disposal of Ms Whyte’s phone and his subsequent purchase of alcohol. The defense has yet to present its full case, but as of October 17, 2025, the trial was ongoing, with the court set to hear further evidence in the days ahead.
The case has raised broader questions about the safety and supervision of asylum accommodation, the vulnerabilities faced by workers in such settings, and the adequacy of security at public transport hubs. While the trial continues and a verdict has yet to be reached, the community of Walsall—and indeed, much of the country—remains transfixed by the tragic loss of Rhiannon Whyte and the disturbing aftermath that has played out in the public eye.
As the legal proceedings move forward, the details revealed so far have left a deep impression on all who have followed the case, serving as a stark reminder of the fragility of life and the unforeseen dangers that can lurk in the most ordinary of places.
