A teenager accused of murdering a young BWS worker was on bail at the time of the alleged stabbing over charges relating to another alleged assault.
Declan Laverty, 20, was minutes away from finishing his shift at the Airport Tavern BWS drive-through bottle shop in Darwin just before 9pm on Sunday when he was allegedly stabbed multiple times.
Keith Kerinauia, 19, was on Tuesday charged with one count of murder, a count of aggravated robbery and breach of bail.
The Darwin Local Court heard on Tuesday Kerinauia had already been due to face court on April 13 over ‘an allegation of an aggravated assault involving a bladed weapon’, the NT News reported.
Police will allege the 19-year-old was in a blue 2014 Toyota Camry, which pulled up at the Jingili bottle shop just before closing time on Sunday night.
The tragic death of BWS worker Declan Laverty (right) has sparked an outpouring of tributes as his alleged attacker is charged with murder
Another adult was initially refused service, but returned to the store to make a lawful purchase.
It will be alleged Kerinauia repeatedly stabbed Mr Laverty during the transaction.
Crown prosecutor Marty Aust asked for the case to be relisted with Kerinauia’s other charges.
The 19-year-old was remanded in custody and no application for bail was made.
He will next face court on May 24.
Kerinauia and two other teenage males, aged 15 and 16, were charged with aggravated robbery for their alleged involvement in earlier separate incidents in Karama and the Beachfront Hotel in Rapid Creek.
Police allege a Beachfront Hotel worker was hit in the head with a bottle of stolen alcohol.
The 15 and 16-year-old were remanded to appear in court on Tuesday.
Another male, aged 17, was arrested on Monday night and charged with aggravated robbery over the alleged Rapid Creek incident and was granted bail to face court in April.
None of the three underage teens charged with robbery are accused in relation to the fatal stabbing of Mr Laverty in Jingili.
Investigations into the alleged stabbing and separate aggravated robberies continue.
Police urge Darwin locals with CCTV, and dash camera footage for the movements of a 2014 blue Toyota Camry with Northern Territory registration CE71BI between 5pm on Sunday, March 19 and 4am on Monday, March 20 to come forward.
The vehicle is believed to have been in the suburbs of Karama, Alawa, Coconut Grove, Jingili and Rapid Creek.
Family members continue to pay tribute to Declan Laverty (pictured right with an uncle)
Meanwhile, shattered family and friends continue to pay tribute to Mr Laverty, who had been looking for a new job when his life was abruptly cut short.
His uncle thanked everyone for the overwhelming support and messages.
‘I appreciate every kind word said about him, and the gesture honestly makes me tear up,’ he wrote on Monday night.
‘To realise people who knew him up in Darwin, and those who didn’t, all have had the very best things to say… I couldn’t be prouder.’
Family friends have set up an online fundraiser to ease the financial strain on Mr Laverty’s mum, who wants to bring his body home to Cairns in far north Queensland.
‘He was just a young boy making an honest living and nobody ever would have thought that he wouldn’t return home,’ the page states.
‘His mother would dearly love to bring him home to be buried, but as you can imagine, that comes with a financial burden.
‘She has dedicated her life to helping others, and it would be great if our awesome community to do even a little to give back.
‘As her friends, we are struggling with how we can help her, and figured that this is one small way we can help ease her burden at this unimaginable time.
‘If we raise any additional funds, we will ensure that goes towards his funeral costs and any other way we can help the family through this awful time.’
Mr Laverty’s father, who asked not to be named, told Darwin radio station Mix FM on Monda his son had been looking for a new job because he ‘couldn’t handle’ abusive customers anymore.
The young bottle shop worker was allegedly stabbed to death at the The Airport Tavern drive-thru BWS (pictured) moments before closing time on Sunday night
Declan Laverty (left) was allegedly stabbed while working at a BWS drive-thru in Darwin. His sister Bridget (right) remembered him as ‘the best brother’
‘He’s had screwdriver pulled on him only a few weeks ago,’ the father said.
‘One of the other staff members has been physically attacked and he couldn’t come back to work.
‘They get attacked quite often at that particular one as far as I am aware. He was looking for another job. He just couldn’t handle it anymore.’
The doting dad said he got home on Sunday night and found his son’s half-eaten dinner in the fridge.
He remembered Mr Laverty as a ‘wonderful, opinionated, strong lad’ who had moved to the NT from Cairns in Queensland two years earlier.
‘He loved his football, and he was really into music at the moment.
‘He was trying to get some songs released and working 30-odd hours at the pub at the airport.’
The father called for an end to violence in Darwin and said ‘something needs to be done’.
‘It’s getting very very bad out there for everyone. Whether it’s my son or someone else.’
Mr Laverty’s sister Bridget wrote a tribute on Facebook on Monday: ‘Declan, you were the best brother I could ask for.’
‘Your silly laugh your lovingness, your big head will miss you so much my brother, forever 20,’ she said.
Mr Laverty (pictured) was dead when paramedics and officers arrived, despite several attempts by shocked witnesses to try and revive him
A man who was among the first on the scene and tried to save the worker’s life described the worker as a ‘beautiful boy’.
The bottle shop is part of Airport Tavern, a popular pub described on its Facebook page as the heart of the community, which Jingili residents regard as their local.
Both the tavern and bottle shop remained cordoned off as a crime scene on Monday morning, with several police vehicles onsite.
Mr Laverty’s death has sparked an outpouring of tributes from the hospitality industry and Endeavour Group, which owns the tavern and bottle shop.
The tragedy has also saddened federal Senator Jacinta Price, whose Darwin office neighbours the tavern and bottle shop.
‘This is very hard to come to terms with. The victim of this horrendous crime is the same age as one of my sons,’ she said.
Mr Laverty’s father said his son was looking for a new job before he was allegedly stabbed during a shift at BWS
‘We cannot continue to experience such horrific and dehumanising crime and violence. The Territory government maybe celebrating a bi-election win but the people of the NT continue to suffer.
‘I can only image the pain the family of this young man is suffering. No more crime no more violence it has to stop!’
‘It’s the devastating message no parent, sibling, or loved one can imagine hearing & the grief will be immense.
NT Deputy Chief Minister Nicole Manison also described the incident as a tragedy as she expressed her condolences to the victim’s family, friends and colleagues.
Declan Laverty, 20, had been looking for a new job at the time
