A 12-year-old boy who was allegedly stabbed to death in a gruesome machete attack has been farewelled in a moving service in Melbourne.
Chol Achiek and his friend Dau Akueng, 15, were walking home from basketball training on the night of September 6 when the pair were ambushed and allegedly stabbed by a machete-wielding group in Cobblebank in the city’s west.
The boys were found critically injured in separate streets and died at the scene.
Chilling CCTV captured Chol’s final moments, which showed the terrified boy being chased through the streets by a group of three men. One alleged attacker wielding a machete lunged at Chol, who fell to the ground screaming.
Police believe those allegedly responsible for the boys’ deaths were angered by a meme referencing the stabbing death of a young teen killed late last year.
On Friday, Chol’s loved ones gathered at St Mary’s Anglican Church in Sunbury to pay tribute to the 12-year-old, who was remembered as ‘larger than life’.
A group of men wearing matching white t-shirts with Chol’s face on them spoke in front of the crowd, while his tearful mother and sister watched on.
Photos from Chol’s short life were projected onto the church walls as mourners were told the 12-year-old had dreams of becoming a professional basketball player.
A 12-year-old boy who was allegedly stabbed to death in a gruesome machete attack has been farewelled in a moving service in Melbourne (pictured, Chol Achiek)
A group of men wearing matching white t-shirts with Chol’s face on them spoke in front of the crowd, while his tearful mother and sister watched on (pictured)
Chol’s small white coffin was covered with a bouquet of white flowers (pictured)
He was described as kind, creative and having a big personality.
Chol’s older sister Monica Achiek said her life would never be the same.
‘I never thought I would be standing here, saying goodbye to my brother, Chol. A part of me still thinks he’s going to walk in with his cheeky smile and act like nothing ever happened,’ she said.
Nile Warriors basketball club vice president Ayak Kuany also read a tribute.
‘There’s a space missing in our trains now, the gap at the end of the bench, a name we wish we were still calling out during our games,’ she said.
‘We feel that absence every single time.
‘You could feel the difference when he walked in the room.’
Tributes remain at the locations where both Chol and Dau died.
Pictured is the order of service used at Chol’s service held at St Mary’s Anglican Church
Chol and his friend Dau Akueng, 15, (pictured) were walking home from basketball training on the night of September 6 when the pair were ambushed and allegedly stabbed to death
Three teenagers have been charged with the murder of Chol, including a 19-year-old Caroline Springs man, an 18-year-old Wollert man and a 16-year-old boy.
Five teenagers have been charged with the murder of Dau, including a 19-year-old Thornhill man, two 16-year-old boys and two 15-year-old boys.
The investigation into the deaths continues.
‘There is no other word for this than senseless,’ Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Martin O’Brien said.
‘Two children walking home after playing sport, who should have had decades of their lives ahead of them.
‘Instead, their devastated families are grieving their loss and all the things they will never get to see two children grow up to achieve and experience.
