One of the most highly anticipated trials in the Northern Territory’s recent history has begun after years of delays.
Constable Zachary Rolfe stands accused of the 2019 murder of 19-year-old Yuendumu man Kumanjayi Walker, who died after the officer shot him three times.
Mr Rolfe has pleaded not guilty.
Kumanjayi Walker’s family and several Elders travelled more than 1500 kilometres from Yuendumu to Darwin to witness court proceedings.
Senior Yuendumu Elder Ned Hargraves said the family were relieved the case was finally being heard.
Kumanjayi Walker was 19 years old when he was shot dead by Constable Rolfe. Source: Supplied
"We have waited a long time. We've come a long way. We want justice for our family," he told NITV News.
"We are still grieving the loss of a loved one [that] was taken away from us. We are still holding those bad feelings about what took place.
"Our community is still shaking, wondering what's going to happen to our kids' future."
The case has been delayed several times, including in August last year, when the High Court accepted an application from prosecutors to delay the case.
This followed an attempt by Rolfe's team to use a "good faith" defence, an instrument of police immunity. It had been approved by the full bench of the Northern Territory's Supreme Court, only to be struck down by the High Court the following November.
Constable Rolfe appears at the opening day of his murder trial in Darwin. Source: NITV
Covid-19 has also played havoc with the contentious trial, and continues to affect proceedings with hearing times reduced to two-hour sittings.
The pressure upon both the prosecution and the defence are immense: Mr Rolfe comes from a prominent family in the region, while the shooting death of an Aboriginal teenager by a white police officer has garnered international coverage.
In his opening remarks to the court in Darwin this morning, prosecutor Phillip Strickland SC described the events of the night in question, when Rolfe and three other officers drove from Alice Springs to arrest Mr Walker.
David Edwardson QC is representing the defence. Source: NITV
“A little over one minute after they entered [the house], the accused had shot Kumanjayi Walker three times with a semi-automatic Glock pistol," Strickland told the jury.
"The last two [were] at point-blank range."
Under the territory's mandatory sentencing laws, Mr Rolfe could face a lifetime behind bars if found guilty and would be unlikely to be eligible for parole for at least 20 years.
Phillip Strickland SC will be arguing the prosecution's case, along with Victorian barrister Joanna Poole. Source: NITV
As the case got underway in Darwin, a vigil was held in Alice Springs by family and friends of Mr Walker, who were unable to travel due to health concerns and the threat of Covid-19.
The case continues.
