7 days ago
Mother's harrowing courtroom tale of her daughter's murder by roommate after a fight over a boyfriend turns to cheers as killer is sentenced
A murderer who fatally stabbed her roommate in the neck refused to lock eyes with the victim's mother, who stared her down during a powerful court statement.
Kayla Golding, 29, was found in a pool of blood on the driveway of her Condon apartment, a suburb in Townsville, Far North Queensland, on May 21, 2021.
Her roommate, 33-year-old Chante Lee White, appeared detached in Townsville Supreme Court on Tuesday morning after being found guilty of the brutal murder.
Ms Golding's mother, Michelle Golding, kept her eyes trained on her daughter's killer while telling the court how White had ruined the lives of the victim's loved ones.
She recalled being woken by officers knocking on her door on the night of her daughter's death.
'They told me my beautiful Kayla, my pumpkin had a severe wound to her neck and didn't make it,' the mother said, the Courier Mail reported.
'I immediately went into shock… It felt like some kind of nightmare.'
The devastated mother said she 'feels sick' whenever she thinks about the violent end to her only child's life.
Ms Golding's mother was supported by a packed courtroom full of her loved ones.
'My whole family and future family were stolen from me that night,' she said.
'I struggle to enjoy life now, my pain aches all day every day.'
Despite the massive display of support for the 'happy, vibrant' victim, White displayed no remorse for the attack.
As Ms Golding's mother stared at her, White sat with her eyes closed and refused to look at the family through the whole hearing.
Crown prosecutor Monique Sheppard told the court the murderer had also aggressively confronted Ms Golding's mother when she was found guilty by jury last month.
She had told the grieving mum: 'Go die in a hole you dumb c***.'
The prosecution also submitted a victim impact statement from Ms Golding's father, Russell Miller.
'His grief had not diluted with time, he relives the visit he had by police informing him of what happened,' Ms Sheppard said.
The court heard White launched the vicious attack against Ms Golding over an altercation about her then partner.
'The murder was motivated in part by an argument she had with the deceased moments prior (to the stabbing),' the crown said.
'She had suspicions Jamie McAuliffe (White's boyfriend at the time) and the deceased were somehow involved romantically. It was callous.'
White had stabbed Ms Golding in the neck and the 29-year-old had ran down a flight of stairs and onto their driveway in a bid for help.
Her mother now drives past the driveway where her daughter was left to die every day.
'(White) showed callousness when she fled the scene before emergency services arrived and hid from police for two days,' Ms Sheppard said.
'She was found hiding in a cupboard.'
Defence barrister Harvey Walter earlier argued White, who had pleaded not guilty, was under the influence of drugs and hadn't intended to kill Ms Golding.
When confronted by police, she told officers she 'simply did not know what happened' to her roommate.
The court also heard White had a history of assault and drug-related offences.
Mr Walter acknowledged there was only one sentence available to White but still noted the obstacles she faced in life.
'I'm not going to prolong the proceedings by going on about (White's) family being goaded in public,' he said.
Mr Walters claimed White had associated with drug users and was grieving the loss of her eldest child's father, who died in a truck incident.
'My client is deeply remorseful for what has happened,' he said.
'What seems central, the drug culture of broken people and the paranoia.'
Justice David North dismissed the defence's apparent remorse and found White knew Ms Golding was bleeding out on their driveway.
'It was a violent killing, you showed no remorse,' he said.
'You must have been aware of who that person was and what happened to her.
'Your actions in attempting a clean-up and disposing the knife suggested you tried to cover up your deeds in an attempt to escape justice.
'The only sentence that the law permits is one of life imprisonment.'
The courtroom erupted with applause as the sentence was read.
The 1,542 days White has already spent behind bars was counted as time served.
Ms Golding's family cheered a second time as White was walked back to custody, with one relative heard yelling 'you piece of s***'.
