‘Frenzied attack’: Man allegedly pushed off cliff into quarry after stabbing

A Queensland man allegedly suffered at least 40 wounds in a frenzied knife attack before his body was pushed off a cliff into a quarry, a court has heard, as one of his accused killers was refused bail.

Jai Gray was last seen alive in May 2024, before his remains were discovered in a quarry near the Glass House Mountains on the Sunshine Coast.

The 25-year-old, from Morayfield, north of Brisbane, was allegedly killed by two men, Dominic Alaeddin and Jordan MacDonald, in what police described at the time as a “callous, brutal, unprovoked attack on a young person that posed no threat to anyone”.

In a bail application by MacDonald on Friday, the Supreme Court in Brisbane heard Gray had been driven to an abandoned quarry on May 28, 2024, before he was allegedly stabbed multiple times and thrown off a cliff.

Crown prosecutor Matthew LeGrand told the court the case would rely on evidence from an eyewitness.

LeGrand said the autopsy report confirmed the method of killing, and that it was described by the witness as a “frenzied attack with knives”.

“The autopsy will reveal that there were at least 40 sharp instrument injuries that ultimately caused the death of the deceased,” he said.

LeGrand said because of the evidence of the witness, police were able to locate Gray’s body, after detectives were taken to the quarry where the body was disposed.

The court heard MacDonald had allegedly admitted in one police interview that he pushed Gray’s body off the cliff, but had not stabbed him.

He also allegedly admitted he had destroyed Gray’s phone and disposed of clothing.

Police found numerous messages in which MacDonald had spoken of fleeing to the US, where he had planned to support himself selling drugs, the court heard.

Gray had been living with the accused pair, and the group had a strained relationship, with Gray not being paid rent and instead receiving cannabis as payment.

The court heard Gray was planning to evict Alaeddin and MacDonald. MacDonald had also told police the pair confronted Gray about harming animals and assaulting women, the court heard.

MacDonald, 24, represented himself in the hearing, beginning his submissions by explaining he had prepared a written statement because he was “very autistic”.

Throughout the proceeding he held rosary beads he wore around his neck.

MacDonald, who also faced a charge of interfering with a corpse, said the alleged facts of the case were heavily disputed.

He told the court a lot of the prosecution’s submissions had been cherry-picked, claiming there were credibility issues with witness statements.

He said that if released, he would live with a family friend and ensure he got a job.

“I very much need the chance to fight my case and prove my innocence, which has proven to be more and more difficult while inside jail,” he said.

In handing down his decision, Justice Paul Smith said while credibility would be an issue, the prosecution case did not seem to be weak.

He said the key prosecution witness would allege MacDonald and his co-accused stabbed Gray, and he was heavily involved in the incident.

Smith refused MacDonald’s bail application, ruling that the proposed release conditions would not ameliorate the risks.

MacDonald was due to face a committal hearing in July.

Gray was remembered by grieving relatives as a loved member of their family and the Caboolture community. His family said he was a very vulnerable person, who was always generous and loving.

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