Teens committed to trial over alleged murder of Sunshine Coast soccer coach

Two Sunshine Coast teenagers charged with fatally stabbing a man in his home last year have been committed to face a jury trial in the Supreme Court in Brisbane. 

They are charged with murdering 57-year-old soccer coach Zdravko Bilic at his Warana home in July 2025.

A 15-year-old West Woombye boy was arrested in Brisbane, while a 17-year-old Beerwah boy was arrested disembarking a bus in Toowoomba, before being charged with murder on July 17, 2025.

Now 16 and 18, the teens faced Maroochydore Children's Court on Friday.

Neither entered a plea nor made applications for bail.

The 18-year-old's lawyer Simon Lewis questioned four witnesses, three police officers, and a justice of the peace (JP).

Mr Lewis asked why his Indigenous client was not provided with the opportunity to talk to a support person of his choice on the evening he was arrested.

Mr Lewis told the court that police should have contacted his parents or guardians first, then family or a friend, before calling a support person from a list available at the police station.

The JP, who was at the Toowoomba watchhouse that evening as a support person, told the court he should have been a "last resort" for the officers.

The court heard that at some stage while the teen was in the watchhouse he spoke on the phone with a legal representative from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service (ATSILS) in Maroochydore.

Police told the court the teen was questioned twice that night: once after 10pm and another time just before midnight.

The lead arresting and interviewing Sunshine Coast officer told the court he was aware the 18-year-old's parents were in custody and unavailable but believed a JP was "appropriate" as a support person.

The teenager was not given the opportunity to speak with the JP alone without police, the court heard.

The senior constable admitted he was unaware of the hierarchy of support persons for an Indigenous minor, and that he did not know there was a list at the Toowoomba Police Station.

"That's a gap in my knowledge," he told the court.

The second teenager's lawyer, Adrian Braithwaite, questioned three witnesses.

Media were excluded from the cross-examining of the first witness.

The second witness was an interviewing police officer, and the third a support person.

The court heard the teenager asked to make a phone call, but police said he could not until the next morning, after the interview, because the person he wanted to call was underage.

The court heard he wanted to tell her that he loved her.

Police promised he could call her in the morning after the police interview.

The court heard the teen was given a support person who sat in the interview with him and was able to speak with him alone during the two interview breaks, the second being about 1am.

Police told the court they attempted to call a legal aid hotline for juveniles but because it was outside hours there was no answer.

The support person told the court that during the police interview breaks she gave words of comfort, asked the boy to tell the truth, and promised to sit with him throughout the process and the rest of his life.

She agreed that during the last break the accused told her he was going to tell police what they wanted to hear so he could call the underage girl.

The public prosecutions office will set the trial date.