Former WA boxing champion Vencent Stephen Caruana to stand trial of shooting murder of Kayla Rose Halnan at Welshpool demolition business

A former boxer will stand trial over the alleged murder of Kayla Rose Halnan at a demolition business in Welshpool. Vencent Stephen Caruana, 35, is accused of shooting the 26-year-old in the back at the business on Treasure Road in August. Appearing in Stirling Gardens Magistrate’s Court today by video-link from Hakea prison, Mr Caruana pleaded not guilty to her murder. In a death notice in The West Australian newspaper, Ms Halnan’s father Keith, a prominent member of Margaret River’s surfing community, described his daughter as a “beautiful person taken from those who loved her dearly”. “No words can convey our sorrow,” he said. “That radiant smile lives on in our hearts.” After Ms Halnan was discovered, she was rushed to hospital by ambulance but she could not be revived. Nearby businesses told The West at the time that it was not unusual for there to be late-night parties at the property. Some CCTV cameras allegedly recorded a naked man wandering outside the business before police and an ambulance arrived. Mr Caruana is a former boxer and a one-time State light heavyweight champion. He will appear in the Supreme Court for the first time on April 6.