Teen accused of killing Universal co-founder to be committed to trial next month

The teenager accused of killing Universal Store co-founder Greg Josephson at his multimillion dollar property is expected to have his case committed to trial next month.

Josephson, 58, was found dead at his home in Brisbane’s north in June last year, during a Thursday-evening party attended by dozens of teenagers.

A 15-year-old boy was charged with murder as the death shocked the close-knit Clayfield community.

In March, the teenager’s lawyer, Kris Jahnke, told the court he was waiting for a preliminary opinion from a psychiatrist, who had been seeing the boy since late last year.

Jahnke had previously described it as a complex matter, and while the psychiatrist had met with his teenager on numerous occasions, there had been difficulties being able to get into the youth detention centre.

At a hearing in the Childrens Court on Tuesday, Jahnke said the case had been adjourned a number of times to allow for the psychiatric assessment.

“That is close to completion, but it need not delay these proceedings any further,” he said.

Jahnke said he was seeking to have the case committed to trial on June 18.

Josephson, founded Universal Store in 1999 with his brother Michael, and the pair sold the company for $100 million in 2018.

Before his death, Josephson and his wife had been planning to sell their Clayfield property, worth $5 million, while shifting their focus to various business ventures on the Sunshine Coast.

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