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A Sudanese asylum seeker has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 29 years for the murder of a hotel worker in Walsall.
Deng Chol Majek was convicted of killing 27-year-old Rhiannon Whyte in October 2024 after following her to Bescot Stadium railway station when she finished her late shift at the Park Inn hotel, where he had been living. She was found seriously injured on a station platform and died in hospital three days later.
A jury at Wolverhampton Crown Court unanimously found Majek guilty of murder and possession of an offensive weapon. CCTV and forensic evidence played a key role in the conviction. The judge said the evidence against him was overwhelming and described the impact of the crime on the victim’s family as devastating.
During sentencing at Coventry Crown Court, family members described the attack as brutal and senseless. The court heard that Majek returned to the hotel after the attack and behaved as if nothing had happened. No clear motive was established during the trial.
Majek had arrived in the UK only months earlier and had previously made a failed asylum claim in Germany. Although he claimed to be a teenager, the court accepted expert assessments that placed his age in his mid-20s.
Passing sentence, the judge said Majek had caused irreversible harm to the victim’s family and the wider community. Majek continues to deny responsibility for the killing.
