“Heartbroken Family Speaks Out After Rising Basketball Star Stabbed to Death – Shocking New Details as Attackers Face Court”

The South Sudanese community is mourning the loss of a “beacon of hope” after the tragic death of a promising young basketball player, Alier Riak, who was fatally stabbed in an unprovoked street attack. Riak, 23, was out celebrating his birthday on March 13, 2022, when he and his friends were ambushed by brothers Teamrat Kassa and Aron Gebregiorgis, along with four other men, in Melbourne’s city center.

The attackers first targeted Alier’s older brother, Kuol Riak, 25, punching and stabbing him on Bourke Street. Alier attempted to protect his brother, but the assailants turned on him, chasing him into a nearby park. Kassa and Gebregiorgis repeatedly stabbed Alier in the chest and leg before he managed to stagger back to his friends, collapsing on the street. CCTV footage captured Gebregiorgis calmly walking away, removing his blood-stained jumper, while Kassa and the rest of the group remained at the scene as police and paramedics arrived.

Alier Riak died on his way to the hospital, while Kuol was transported to The Alfred Hospital with multiple stab wounds to his back and arms. Five days after the attack, Kassa and Gebregiorgis were arrested and later charged. Both pleaded guilty to murder in the Victorian Supreme Court, with Kassa also admitting to recklessly causing injury to Kuol.

In court, 14 victim impact statements from Alier’s family and South Sudanese community leaders were presented. His family described Alier as a promising basketball player, set to begin a new professional contract in Darwin, and a mentor to the South Sudanese community in Western Australia. His mother, Elizabeth Malek, expressed the deep sorrow felt by the family, saying, “Alier was a role model and a beacon of hope for his community. Our family once was happy, but it has been shattered by this loss.”

Kassa’s lawyer, Ashley Halphen, explained that the attack was impulsive and unplanned, triggered by something Kassa had heard about an associate. Kassa, who had been released from prison just a week earlier on a community corrections order, acted while under the influence of Xanax and alcohol. His brother Gebregiorgis was also abusing prescription medication and cannabis at the time, according to his lawyer, Sam Norton. Both men expressed remorse, submitting apology letters to the court, though prosecutor Neill Hutton noted the timing of the letters appeared “convenient,” as they were written only recently.

Justice John Champion remarked on the gravity of the crime, emphasizing that the offenders chased their victims, an action that elevated the seriousness of the case. “A minute or so destroys everyone’s lives for a lifetime,” he said. Sentencing will take place at a later date.

Outside the court, Alier’s father, James, expressed the family’s hope for a just outcome, stating, “We are really very upset. Alier was the icon of our family.”