A jury has convicted 24-year-old Jeconiah Carbon of attempted murder after he lured a man to a beach under the pretense of a sexual encounter. Carbon, an Emergency Medical Technician, faced both a murder charge and an alternative charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

The charges originate from an incident on January 6, 2020, at Dove Trail Beach, where Carbon—then 19—allegedly enticed a 29-year-old man with the promise of sex before attacking him with a knife.

After several hours of deliberation, during which the jury carefully reviewed days of evidence and witness statements, they reached their decision.The verdict was handed down moments ago in the High Court. Sentencing has been scheduled for March 14, 2025.

On the sixth and final day of the trial, both the prosecution and defence presented their closing arguments, summarising the evidence and urging the jury to consider their respective positions.

Prosecutor Crown Counsel Paulio Williams urged the jury to set aside any bias and evaluate the evidence objectively. He criticised Carbon’s testimony as inconsistent—highlighting, for example, that the victim’s stab wounds were found on his back, which contradicted the accused’s claim of a face‑to‑face encounter.

When pressed about the wounds, Carbon replied, “I can’t be sure. I did not see the wounds myself. I got wounds too.” But Williams described Carbon’s injuries as superficial, noting that a doctor characterised them as minor lacerations with circumstantial wounding. He accused the defendant of exaggerating his wounds and highlighted inconsistencies between his police statements and courtroom testimony about how he knew the victim.

Williams told the jury to assess the demeanor of witnesses to determine credibility, asserting that Carbon himself appeared “very dodgy” during his testimony and cross-examination. The prosecutor argued that Carbon had taken “preparatory steps” for the attack and remained at the scene even when the victim made unwanted advances. The accused had testified, “My mind wasn’t studying anything at that time.”

Williams rebutted that the accused was aware of the victim’s intentions and fabricated his account by introducing new information during the trial. “He even lies to himself. He is a man who cannot be believed,” Williams told the jury.

The prosecution further portrayed Carbon as someone who underestimated his victim’s potential reaction, manipulated the victim’s sexuality for personal gain, and was desperate for money to “live the soft life.” Williams referenced text messages in which Carbon professed love for the victim and argued that, when a dispute over a $100 debt arose and threats to take the matter further, Carbon allegedly devised a plan to kill the gay man. To support his case, Williams pointed to Carbon’s decision to arrange the meeting at a deserted part of Dove Trail Beach—an area without lights or nearby houses—as evidence of premeditation.

Additionally, two years after the charges were brought, Carbon violated his bail conditions by attempting to contact the victim to persuade him to drop the case.

In defence of his client, attorney Michael Archibald contended that Carbon acted in self-defence, portraying him as “a young man unsure of his sexuality” who was pursued by an older sexual “predator”. He said the victim had been pursuing his client since he was 17, even contacting him through Facebook after months of no communication.

Archibald argued that Carbon, though not homosexual, agreed to perform small sexual favours to appease the older man. He described his client as a young man whose parents provided basic needs but who desired extras like clothes, shoes, a phone, and money.

He denied that the accused was manipulating the victim, likening their relationship to any other between a heterosexual couple. The defence suggested that the gay man was “grooming” Carbon by promising items in exchange for nude pictures, and building a “particular sense of security.”

Regarding the location of the attack, Archibald claimed that the victim—a local taxi operator familiar with Dove Trail Beach—was more likely to have chosen the meeting spot. He maintained that when Carbon swung his knife, he was acting to defend himself from an imminent threat rather than with an intent to kill.

Archibald further emphasized that the charge of grievous bodily harm required evidence of an unprovoked attack, a standard he argued was not met. He highlighted a message from the victim who said Carbon spoke like he was 15 or 16 years old, indicating his immaturity and the dynamics of their relationship. “Little boy in big people business and when he got in the situation, he don’t know how to handle it,” Archibald concluded.

However, in the end the jurors voted 8 to 1 in favour of convicting the 24-year-old of attempted murder.

Overview of trial 

The trial centres on a January 6, 2020 incident at Dove Trail Beach, where 19-year-old Jeconiah Carbon lured a 29-year-old gay man under the pretence of a sexual encounter and then attempted to kill him.

The victim first met Carbon in 2018 while speaking to a mutual friend, leading to interactions via social media. The accused misrepresented his age to the victim, claiming to be 18 when he was actually a 17-year-old high school student.

Over time, the accused requested various favours, including purchasing items for his small business. The victim recounted the night of the attack, detailing how Carbon insisted on meeting despite a delay, leading to the assault at Dove Trail Beach. He sustained multiple stab wounds, including a life-threatening 10-centimeter laceration near the carotid artery.

Forensic analysis of their phones revealed extensive WhatsApp conversations from August 2018 to January 2020. Carbon offered sexual favours in exchange for money and stocks. Screenshots showed escalating demands and sexual propositions, with the accused offering to perform oral sex and later proposing a $5,000 payment for explicit images.

Investigators documented blood traces at the crime scene, including on the accused’s vehicle and nearby roadway. A bloody kitchen knife, identified as the weapon used in the attack, was recovered from the accused.

Carbon wanted the jury to believe that he acted in self-defence, feeling coerced when attempting to withdraw consent from the pre-planned sexual arrangement. Carbon testified that the victim became aggressive, prompting him to draw a knife in self-defence.

Under cross-examination, the accused admitted to lying in his initial police statement by denying their friendship and prior communications. He explained these misrepresentations as stemming from shame and fear of being labelled as homosexual.

The two men agreed that a physical struggle occurred, but they differed on key details:

• Positioning and Setting:
  • Accused’s Account: He said he was standing with his back against the vehicle door when the altercation began.
  • Victim’s Account: He testified that he was kneeling on the back seat of the vehicle (with his pants off) while the accused was positioned behind him.
• Initiation and Sequence of Violence:
  • Accused’s Account: He claimed that after the victim repeatedly touched and attempted to kiss him, the victim became aggressive—choking him—which forced him to draw his knife in self-defense and swing it wildly. He portrayed the incident as a reaction to being choked.
  • Victim’s Account: While also acknowledging a struggle, the victim’s description suggests that the accused, being behind him while he was vulnerable, was the one who inflicted the stab wounds unprovoked

The jury visited key locations, including Hatton near a Moravian church, Dove Trail at Yeptons (the crime scene), and the former Ribbit nightclub at Perry Bay where the victim collapsed on his way to the hospital. These visits aimed to provide a better understanding of the setting of the alleged offence.