A 15-year-old boy has stood trial in the Victorian Supreme Court accused of murdering 16-year-old Oscar Hamilton in a daylight stabbing at a shopping centre in Melton, west of Melbourne, in September 2024. Prosecutors allege the accused confronted Oscar over sexual assault allegations made by a girl he had briefly dated, before stabbing him three times in the chest; the defendant has pleaded guilty to manslaughter, but this has been rejected by the Crown, which is pursuing the more serious murder charge.

The court heard that Oscar was sitting with friends at Woodgrove Shopping Centre when the accused approached and asked to speak with him, later following him and allegedly threatening his friends before the fatal attack. CCTV footage was shown to the jury, and prosecutors said the accused had phoned his ex-girlfriend afterwards to apologise, while recorded prison calls allegedly captured him expressing anger and stating he would have attacked Oscar regardless of whether the assault claims were true. The defence argues the central issue is the boy's intent at the time of the stabbing, with the trial expected to last two weeks.