A teenager who murdered a "completely innocent" Canberran during a "botched home invasion" attempt has been found guilty over his involvement in a Civic street brawl.
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The offender, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty in January to fatally shooting Glenn Walewicz, 48, in the front doorway of his Phillip unit in mid-2021.
A month before his June 2022 arrest for the mistaken identity murder, the teenager was involved in a separate Garema Place brawl.
The 19-year-old, of Belconnen, on Monday faced the ACT Magistrates Court, where he was found guilty of affray.
The court previously heard details of the public fight in question during a May hearing to determine the teenager's guilt.
Prosecutor Elinor Knaggs said the teenager was part of an "aggressor group" acting violently towards "random members of the public throughout the night" of May 6, 2022.
Giving evidence in May, a man said he and friends were on their way to a gig at Fiction nightclub when they came across "a few blokes stomping on some dude's head on the ground".
While intervening, a fight between the two groups broke out and the man said he "got a hit to the face with a closed hand".
While the parties went their separate ways, the aggressor group soon caught up to the men who had intervened.
The "scared" witness told the court some of the aggressors threw chairs before another fight broke out.
"I saw my mate knocked out on the ground," the man said.
Details of the 19-year-old's actions during the two brawls are not yet clear but a police officer gave evidence in May that he saw the offender tackle a man and kick him in the head twice during the latter incident.
The teenager was arrested by police after being chased on foot.
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Appearing from jail via audio-visual link on Monday, the offender was also found not guilty of the more serious charge of affray with two or more other people present.
Special magistrate Sean Richter did not provide reasons for his decision.
Legal Aid lawyer Sam Brown asked the court to order the non-publication of the teenager's identity "in the interest of justice" due to his ongoing murder case in the ACT Supreme Court.
His name is already suppressed in that matter as he was 17 at the time of the shooting.
While the teenager has admitted killing Mr Walewicz, he maintains the fatal discharge was accidental.
Prosecutors say it was deliberate.
In a victim impact statement, Mr Walewicz's mother told a court her grief was "overwhelming" after losing her son.
"A mother should never have to feel this loss," she said.
The offender is set to face the Magistrates Court again on July 27, with his upcoming murder sentencing to help guide a path on how Mr Richter will deal with the affray charge.
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Tim Piccione
Tim is a journalist with the Canberra Times covering the ACT courts. He came to the nation's capital via the Daily Advertiser in Wagga. Contact: tim.piccione@canberratimes.com.au.
Tim is a journalist with the Canberra Times covering the ACT courts. He came to the nation's capital via the Daily Advertiser in Wagga. Contact: tim.piccione@canberratimes.com.au.
