CCTV emerges in case of teen accused of murdering Universal Store founder Greg Josephson at Clayfield mansion

The teen accused of killing the millionaire co-founder of popular clothing retailer Universal Store at an affluent Brisbane home allegedly phoned police before his arrest.

As more details of what occurred at the Clayfield Mansion came to light it was also revealed Greg Josephson and his family had been in the process of moving to the Sunshine Coast when he was killed.

Josephson — who co-founded Universal Store with his brother Michael in 1999 before selling it in 2018 for $100 million — was found dead after police responded to an altercation at a teen house party in the affluent inner-north Brisbane suburb of Clayfield around 8.15pm on Thursday.

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Police say they discovered the 58-year-old deceased on the top level of the 1930s mansion, with approximately 30 teenage partygoers present in the house.

The father of three and his family had been in the process of relocating to the Sunshine Coast, having listed the sprawling property — which features six bedrooms, six bathrooms, alfresco terraces, a pavilion, and a pool — for sale six weeks ago for $5.4 million.

A 15-year-old boy known to Mr. Josephson allegedly phoned police before being arrested on a nearby street, suffering a minor injury.

The boy, who had recently changed schools and had strong connections to two of Brisbane’s most prestigious boys’ schools, was charged with murder overnight.

“This is a tragic incident that will affect the family and the community as a whole,” said Detective Acting Superintendent Craig Williams. “Other young persons who were at the house at the time are assisting us with inquiries and were not involved in the situation.”

Det-Supt Williams said he could not confirm whether Mr Josephson had been trying to break up the party when he was allegedly attacked.

“I can confirm that there was a party underway at the house with a number of young persons present. As for what occurred prior to the incident, it’s still under investigation.”

“It’s still very early days, so the exact location of individuals and what they witnessed forms part of our investigation.”

He described the scene as “confusing” when police arrived.

“It was a party, obviously, and when police turn up at a party, it’s confusing until everyone understands what’s going on and why police are there.”

He said most of the teens were unaware of what had happened when police arrived.

“At this stage, the initial investigation indicates that no other persons were involved other than the 15-year-old boy, who has been taken into custody.” He confirmed the alleged murder weapon had been found.

It is unknown whether drugs or alcohol were present at the party.

“It’s extremely distressing when a young person is involved and any time there’s a loss of life,” Det-Supt Williams said.

“It’s distressing for the family, the community, and for the innocent people who were at the house and had nothing to do with it.”

“All possible supports are being offered to those affected, and I encourage anyone who needs support to reach out.”

Neighbour Corinne Matthews described seeing distressed young guests outside the home on the night of the incident.

“There were a couple of girls who leaned over and said, ‘We got invited to this party and now all we want to do is go home, but we’re not allowed to leave.’ They were dreadfully upset. None of the kids seemed to know what was going on.”

The boy, who did not appear in court as he was en route to hospital, was refused bail in Brisbane Children’s Court on Friday.

The case was adjourned until August 22.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli declined to speculate on whether the boy would face the State’s tough new “adult crime, adult time” policy, under which youth offenders can be sentenced as adults for serious crimes like murder.

“When things like this happen, there’s a deep sense of remorse,” he said. “Let the courts do their job.”

Mr. Josephson was the owner of the Noosa Reef Hotel, which he purchased for nearly $14 million in 2021, among other multimillion-dollar property holdings in Queensland.

The Josephsons have a long family history in retail. Their grandfather owned the iconic Australian workwear label Can’t Tear ’Em, and their uncle had ties to the denim brand Lee Cooper.

Mr. Josephson had worked as a leasing executive for Lendlease, Westfield, and Jones Lang LaSalle. He was most recently listed on LinkedIn as the chief executive of Josephsons Holdings.

Property records show the home was purchased by Mr. Josephson and his wife Tamra in 2016 for $1.91 million. The three-storey home was listed for sale by expressions of interest on May 15.

Earlier this month, the property’s market listing featured in a news article, with the Josephsons revealing that renovations in 2022 made the home feel like a “five-star resort.”

“We’re sad to sell, but we’re relocating to Noosa where we have a house and business interests,” Mr Josephson told News Corp.

“But we’re proud that we went all out to create a once-in-a-lifetime forever home, and that’s what’s on offer for someone now.”

The Josephsons also own an adjoining property, valued at $2.25 million, which they intend to sell along with their family home. The second property has approval to be turned into a tennis court or could be retained as a rental or guest cottage. Combined, the properties span 1974 sqm.

Mr Josephson was reportedly a talented rugby player at the elite St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace. The school’s principal, Dr Michael Carroll, shared the sad news with the school community.

“It is with deep sadness that we inform you of the death of a member of our St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace community,” the message read.

“This is a tragic incident that will impact members of our College community. We will offer support to anyone affected and ensure our commentary does not interfere with the ongoing police investigation.”

Universal Store, a popular youth fashion retailer with 80 outlets nationwide, which stocks over 50 clothing brands and made over $244 million in the year to June 2024, released a statement:

“We wanted to share the sad news that Greg Josephson, who founded our company and played a significant role until 2018, has recently passed away. Our sincere thoughts and condolences are with his family at this very sad time.”

Investigators are appealing to anyone with information or CCTV/dashcam footage from the area to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.