A Brisbane Supreme Court jury has heard chilling evidence in the murder trial of Zaid Abdus Samad, who stands accused of fatally stabbing 20-year-old Mohammad Naveed in Kuraby in October 2023. Prosecutors revealed that just hours before the attack, Samad sent a message to a friend stating, “I’m Going To Kill Him.” The victim was found with 17 stab wounds outside his home on Comino Street, having bled to death from injuries to his neck and torso.
Security footage presented in court shows Samad running from the scene wearing a white T-shirt stained with blood, later discarding it in nearby bushes. Police recovered the shirt, which forensic testing confirmed contained both Samad’s and the victim’s DNA. A knife with the victim’s blood was also found hidden in Samad’s bedroom during a search warrant executed the next day. The prosecution alleges the killing stemmed from a personal dispute, though the exact motive remains under examination.
Outside court, Naveed’s family described him as a “Bright Light” who worked at a local halal butcher and dreamed of opening his own business. “He Was Kind, Hardworking, And Never Hurt Anyone,” his sister said through tears. Community leaders in Kuraby, a suburb with a large South Asian and Muslim population, have called for calm and unity, emphasizing that the tragedy should not be misconstrued as representative of broader tensions.
Samad’s defence counsel argued the stabbing occurred during a sudden, heated confrontation not as a premeditated act. They pointed to Samad’s lack of prior criminal history and suggested the threatening text may have been “emotional hyperbole” rather than a literal intent to kill. However, the prosecution countered that the deliberate disposal of evidence and the severity of the attack indicate clear intent. The trial continues, with closing arguments expected next week.
In Kuraby, vigils and interfaith gatherings have been held in Naveed’s memory. Local youth groups have launched anti-violence workshops, urging young men to resolve conflicts without weapons. “We Cannot Let Anger Steal Our Future,” said one organizer. As the courtroom weighs evidence, the neighborhood grapples with a deeper question: how to honor a life cut short by ensuring it sparks change, not more division.
This trial is more than a legal proceeding it is a mirror held up to a community reckoning with loss, accountability, and the fragile line between rage and reason. The evidence is stark, the grief palpable. Yet in Kuraby’s quiet streets, neighbors still leave flowers at the site where Naveed fell. Even In The Shadow Of Violence, The Will To Remember With Love Endures.
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