Teen charged with murder of popular Brisbane CEO
<p>The co-founder of popular Australian fashion brand Universal Store, Greg Josephson, has been tragically stabbed to death during a house party at his home in Clayfield, one of Brisbane’s most affluent suburbs.</p>
<p>Police were called to Mr Josephson’s residence shortly after 8pm on Thursday night, where they discovered the 58-year-old businessman dead upstairs. A large party, attended by around 30 teenagers, was underway at the time.</p>
<p>A 15-year-old boy, also from Clayfield, was arrested near the scene and has since been charged with one count of murder. He was refused bail and is expected to appear before Brisbane Children’s Court.</p>
<p>Police say the altercation between Mr Josephson and the teen involved a “household implement” rather than a knife, and confirmed the incident was not a case of someone bringing a weapon to the party.</p>
<p>“There was some sort of altercation that’s resulted in this 58-year-old male tragically losing his life,” said Acting Assistant Commissioner Rhys Wildman. “It’s not a case of carrying knives – it’s unfortunately allotted in a home.”</p>
<p>Inspector Jane Healy said the teenager himself contacted police after the incident, claiming involvement and knowledge of what had occurred. “He is the only person who was aware of what happened,” she said.</p>
<p>The scene that greeted officers was described as “chaotic, confusing and confronting”, with the home quickly cordoned off as a crime scene. Other teenagers at the party were taken to Boondall Police Station, where they were interviewed and later reunited with their families.</p>
<p>“This is quite a traumatic incident that occurred,” Mr Wildman said. “So the welfare of those young people will also be considered in this.”</p>
<p>Police confirmed that the murder weapon has been recovered and that the Child Protection Investigation Unit is leading inquiries. The motive for the deadly altercation remains under investigation, with officers still working to piece together the full timeline of events.</p>
<p>Mr Josephson was well-known in Brisbane’s business and retail circles. After graduating with a commerce degree from Griffith University in 1987, he spent over a decade in high-level leasing roles at Jones Lang LaSalle, Lendlease, and Westfield before co-founding Universal Store with his brother Michael in 1999. Their first store opened in Carindale, with the brand eventually expanding to more than 80 locations nationwide.</p>
<p>He sold his stake in the company in 2018 when it was valued at around $100 million and later invested in hospitality, including the purchase of Noosa Reef Hotel for $13.9 million in 2021.</p>
<p>Friends and former colleagues have expressed shock at the sudden and violent loss. “We are completely in shock,” said one close friend. “He was such a kind person, you just don’t expect this to happen so close to you. It’s just so incredibly sad.”</p>
<p>In a statement released on Friday, Universal Store paid tribute to their former founder:</p>
<p>“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.”</p>
<p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">Investigations are ongoing, and </span>police are urging anyone with information, CCTV, or dashcam footage from the Clayfield area to contact Crime Stoppers.</p>
<p><em>Images: Supplied</em></p>