Three people found guilty of the brutal murder of teenager Kingsley Alley Jr in 2022 have been sentenced to life in prison by the Northern Territory Supreme Court.
A fourth person, who was 17 at the time of the attack, has been sentenced to 14 years due to his age, with a non-parole period of seven years, ABC News reports. The three adults will be eligible for parole after serving 20 years.
Dechlan Wurramarra, 22, Madison Butler, 20, and her mother Melissa Clancy, 39, were convicted by a jury last year of murdering 18-year-old Kingsley Alley Jr. The fourth perpetrator, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was also found guilty in the joint trial.
The court heard that Alley was “outrun and outnumbered” when Wurramarra, Clancy, and the teenage offender assaulted him with a knife and metal poles in a driveway after a house party in Palmerston’s suburb of Driver in October 2022.
Clancy was also found to have encouraged the attack, shouting for the group to “kill him” and “double-bank him” as Alley ran and begged for his life.
Justice Peter Barr ruled that while all four offenders intended to cause Alley serious harm, they did not set out to kill him.
As the sentences were handed down, Alley’s family members sobbed and exchanged heated words with the convicted murderers.
Speaking outside the court, his sister Josephine Miller described her brother as “a smart, kind, beautiful soul” who adored his daughter and partner.
“We’re grateful that Kingsley has justice in the court system, but he’s no longer with us, and that will forever be hard on us as a family,” she said.
Miller thanked the prosecution team and the community for their support during what she described as a painful legal process.
“He’ll always be a part of our family, never forgotten. Rest in peace, Kingsley—we love you.”
Under the Northern Territory’s strict sentencing laws, life imprisonment with a 20-year non-parole period is the standard punishment for murder. The three adult offenders received this mandatory sentence.
The fourth perpetrator, being a minor at the time, was sentenced under different provisions, with eligibility for parole after seven years.
The case has reignited discussions about youth crime and sentencing laws in the Northern Territory.
