Two Men Convicted of Murdering Aboriginal Teen Cassius Turvey
Warning: This article contains the name and image of an Indigenous person who has died. His family has given permission for their use.
Two men have been found guilty of the violent murder of 15-year-old Aboriginal schoolboy Cassius Turvey, whose death in 2022 sparked national mourning and widespread protests across Australia.
Cassius, a Noongar Yamatji boy, died from severe head injuries 10 days after being brutally assaulted in Perth’s eastern suburbs. The attack occurred as he was walking home from school with friends, and was widely condemned as a senseless act of violence.
Four individuals were initially charged over the incident. On Thursday, a jury found Jack Steven James Brearley, 24, and Brodie Lee Palmer, 29, guilty of murder following a 12-week trial. Mitchell Colin Forth, 27, was convicted of manslaughter, while a woman who had been with the group prior to the assault was acquitted.
Cassius' mother, Mechelle Turvey, described the verdict as bringing a "numb sense of relief" after enduring "three months of hell." However, she added, “Justice, to me, will never be served because I don't have my son, and he's not coming back.”
The trial revealed that the attack stemmed from unrelated acts of vandalism to Brearley’s car, which had nothing to do with Cassius. Prosecutors said the men were “hunting for kids” in retaliation, and Cassius was tragically caught up in their aggression.
Surveillance footage played in court captured Brearley declaring, “Somebody smashed my car, they're about to die,” shortly before the attack. The group encountered Cassius and his friends on a suburban street. A boy on crutches was first assaulted, prompting others to flee into nearby bushland. Cassius was eventually caught, knocked to the ground, and struck on the head at least twice with a metal pole, resulting in a fatal brain injury.
Despite undergoing multiple surgeries, Cassius succumbed to his injuries. During the trial, the jury heard Brearley had later bragged in a phone call about beating the teenager, saying, “He was laying in the field and I was just smacking him with a trolley pole so hard, he learnt his lesson.”
Both Brearley and Palmer denied responsibility for the fatal blows, each blaming the other. The jury ultimately found them equally culpable for murder, and Forth guilty of manslaughter. Sentencing is scheduled for 26 June.
Outside court, Mrs Turvey thanked the witnesses—many of them children—who came forward to testify, and expressed gratitude for the overwhelming public support. “I'd like to thank all of Australia, people that know us, for all of their love and support,” she said.
Cassius was remembered as a kind, outgoing teenager who was deeply involved in his community. He and two friends had launched a small lawn care business to challenge negative stereotypes about Aboriginal youth.
“He was funny. He loved posing,” his mother recalled, sharing photographs of Cassius beaming.
His death provoked grief and outrage across the nation and beyond. Vigils in his memory were held in over two dozen Australian cities, with additional gatherings in the United States and New Zealand.
While the court did not present race as a motive, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the attack "clearly" racially motivated at the time, reigniting a broader conversation about racism and violence in Australia.
"Australia does have a shocking reputation around the world for this kind of violence," said human rights lawyer Hannah McGlade, following the tragedy.
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