Distressed teenagers are being spoken to by police after a man’s fatal stabbing at a Brisbane house party packed with dozens of young people.
Police have charged a 15-year-old boy with murder after the body of 58-year-old businessman Greg Josephson was found inside a large home in the upmarket inner-city suburb of Clayfield on Thursday night.
Josephson co-founded clothing chain Universal Store in 1999 alongside his brother.
Officers responded to a call about 8.15pm on Thursday and arrived at a Clayfield residence hosting a party with “around 30” teenagers present, police said.
“I can confirm that there was a party under way at the house with a number of young persons,” Det Acting Supt Craig Williams told reporters on Friday.
Officers found the man’s body inside, but most of the teens were unaware of what had happened, he said.
“It was a confusing situation,” Williams said.
The 15-year-old was located on a nearby street, police allege.
“At this stage the initial investigation indicates that no other persons were involved other than the 15-year-old boy,” Williams alleged.
He confirmed police had also located the alleged weapon.
The boy was taken into custody, with a number of teenagers at the party assisting police.
The 15-year-old was later taken to hospital.
“No others were taken into custody,” Williams said.
“A number of the teens who were at the address are assisting with inquiries and were brought back to stations to have their parents contacted.
“It’s distressing for the family. It’s distressing for the community and for … innocent people who are at the house who have nothing to do with it, so all possible support’s being offered to those people.”
The boy was charged with one count of murder and refused police bail.
His case was mentioned in a children’s court on Friday and adjourned until 2 September.
A Universal Store spokesperson confirmed the death of its co-founder.
“We wanted to share the sad news that Greg Josephson, who founded our company and played a significant role until 2018, has recently passed away,” a statement said.
“Our sincere thoughts and condolences are with his family at this very sad time.”
Josephson sold Universal Store in 2018 for a reported $100m.
According to his LinkedIn, Josephson had been the chief executive of Josephson Holdings since 2018.