A teenager charged over the fatal stabbing of a Universal Store co-founder had attended three different schools – including two of Brisbane‘s most exclusive private boys’ colleges.
Greg Josephson, 58, was allegedly stabbed to death during a teen house party at his three-storey home on Oriel Road in Clayfield, an affluent inner northern Brisbane suburb, on Thursday night.
Police allege an altercation took place between the father-of-three and a 15-year-old boy, who are believed to be known to each other.
The 15-year-old was arrested in nearby Barlow Street soon after the discovery of the body, before he was charged with one count of murder.
CCTV footage shows the moment police arrested the teenager, The Courier Mail reported, with a neighbour saying they witnessed the young man being loaded by officers into the back of a police car.
Daily Mail Australia understands the teenager attended several schools after he was ‘asked to leave’ two of them.
About 30 teenagers, many of whom are from private schools, had attended the house party to celebrate the end of the school term and unknowingly partied downstairs while Mr Josephson’s body lay upstairs.
Teenagers oblivious to the tragedy were rounded up in the backyard as officers searched the grounds of the large property, with Queensland Police later stating they had found the alleged murder weapon at an undisclosed location.
Greg Josephson (above with wife Tamra) was from a Brisbane clothing dynasty but had founded his own empire with Universal stores
Forensic police seen in a room upstairs at the Clayfield house where Mr Josephson was found dead
CCTV showed the accused teen on the same evening at a cafe in nearby Ascot walking across a patio area while wringing his hands.
Neatly dressed in a button-up shirt and dark trousers, he proceeded to squeeze his way into a narrow rubbish area at the back of the venue.
He then appeared to create a barricade by moving several bins in front of him.
Police arrested the 15-year-old at about 8.15pm after he called Triple-0. He was refused bail and later taken to hospital to have a minor injury to his hand treated.
His case was listed in Brisbane Children’s Court on Friday and adjourned until September 2. He will remain in custody until then.
On Saturday, forensic police continued to search the Oriel Road property, which the Josephson family had been in the process of selling to move to the Sunshine Coast.
Mr Josephson co-founded the Universal Store with his brother Michael in 1999.
He built up an Australia-wide network of 53 stores, and sold the business in 2018 to private equity investors in a reported $100million deal.
CCTV shows the accused boy, neatly dressed in a button-up shirt and dark trousers, squeeze his way into a narrow rubbish area at the back of a cafe in the inner-Brisbane suburb, Ascot
The Josephsons had renovated their 1930s Art Deco mansion and were in the process of selling up and moving to Noosa when 58-year-old Greg died tragically
Police in the grounds of the Clayfield house last Thursday evening as the 15-year-old boy was arrested and distraught teenage party guests were escorted from the crime scene
He had also built a multimillion-dollar property portfolio, including the $13.9million Noosa Reef Hotel on the Sunshine Coast, and a $3.5million group of boutique cottages in Cooran, in the Noosa hinterland.
The Josephson brothers come from a clothing dynasty in Brisbane, their great-grandfather having started Josephson’s Clothing Factory in 1910, their grandfather creating the Can’t Tear ‘Em’ workwear brand, and their uncle distributing Lee Cooper jeans.
The house where Mr Josephson was allegedly murdered had been on the market for 43 days when he died.
He and his wife Tamra, who shared children, had bought the 1930s Art Deco home in 2016, conducted a major renovation and were planning to move to Noosa to live.
Queensland Police are urging anyone with information, or with CCTV or dashcam footage from the area, to come forward to assist with the investigation.
Police said they had still to interview some of the young people who attended Thursday’s party.
‘We are still establishing the timeline of what has happened at this address,’ inspector Jane Healy said.
Acting assistant commissioner Rhys Wildman said police will allege a household implement was used during an altercation between the man and the teen.
‘There was some sort of altercation that’s resulted in this 58-year-old male tragically losing his life,’ he said.
‘It’s not a case of carrying knives, it’s unfortunately occurred in a home.’
