Malachi Rain Subecz

Malachi Rain Subecz loved dinosaurs, colouring in, building forts and playing chase with his cousins. During the last week of his life in Auckland’s Starship Hospital, his family, including his mother who was brought to hospital by prison guards, took turns embracing him. They stroked Malachi’s skin, spoke to him in soothing voices, and told him everything was okay, he could go now. He died in his uncle Peter Menzies’ arms at 5am on 12 November 2021.

When Malachi's mother was sent to prison on 22 June 2021 she requested that 27-year-old Michaela Barriball take care of him. Helen Menzies, who is Malachi’s mother’s oldest sister (and family spokesperson), says the family raised the alarm twice with Oranga Tamariki within a week of his mother being jailed, across two separate offices. They say this included providing Oranga Tamariki with photographs of Malachi’s bruises.

Malachi was living with Barriball in a relocatable cabin at Te Puna in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The cabin had power but no running water, so they showered and ate inside the main house.

On the day Malachi was fatally injured, 1 November, Barriball had been trying to find more suitable accommodation by calling property managers. When she was rejected, she responded by inflicting multiple blunt force trauma injuries to Malachi’s head before carrying him into the main house around 8.27am, unconscious and suffering seizures. She and her father, Chris Barriball, attempted to revive him before lying him on the couch and calling an ambulance. Malachi was taken by ambulance to Tauranga Hospital, and later airlifted to Starship Hospital in Auckland. He was suffering from a brain hemorrhage and substantial bruises across his entire body. In Starship he underwent emergency surgery and was placed into an induced coma. On November 10 he was extubated and he died two days later. An autopsy found the cause of death to be blunt force head injury.

Michaela Barriball was convicted on a charge of murder, injuring with intent to injure, and failing her legal duty to care for someone under the age of 18. She was also convicted for injuring with intent to injure and intentionally causing suffering, namely physical and verbal abuse, failing to provide medical assistance, and causing Malachi to be malnourished. Her sister Sharron Barriball, 37, is also set to be sentenced for perverting the course of justice. Sharron asked her daughter to remove evidence from the cabin in Te Puna before the police arrived to search it. Some of Malachi’s clothes were not found until another search 15 days later, when green blood-stained pyjamas were discovered in a shed hidden in a suitcase.

According to Tommy Kapai of Te Tuinga Whānau, Barriball was paid quite “a substantial amount from agencies” to be Malachi’s temporary caregiver. Her partner Guri Dhillon (aka Hunter) knew of the abuse as Barriball sent him a series of messages at different times, but at no time did he bother calling the police. Others at the property were also aware of the abuse, but at no time did they bother calling the police. Malachi's injuries were seen and photographed by daycare between September 24-27. The abuse that Michaela Barriball inflicted upon Malachi includes the following:

• Malachi was subjected to daily assaults including receiving slaps to the face, head and body, and being pushed into walls and on to the ground.
• Malachi was malnourished, weighing just 16kg when he died, the same weight recorded at a medical appointment when he was 3 years old.
• Malachi was stripped to his underwear and locked outside if he soiled himself (which only began after the abuse).
• Malachi was forced to stand for prolonged periods of time, only being allowed to sit when given permission.
• Malachi was taken to school for one day only - 24 September 2021 - to Te Puna Primary School.
• Malachi was grabbed by the back of his head, picked him up off the ground by his hair and thrown into a wall twice after his 5th birthday. Barriball then repeatedly struck him in the face.
• Malachi had his head held under the bath water with his mouth and nose fully submerged.
• On 18 October Malachi was put in the shower under hot water (since measured at 73 degrees). Malachi suffered severe burns to his forehead, shoulder, and a large, deep 13cm blackened injury on his abdomen.
• Malachi received multiple blunt force trauma injuries to his head and a black eye.

One can only hope that during her time in prison Barriball will be subjected to the same treatment that she so callously and brutally subjected five-year-old Malachi to.

Sources

1. Bathgate, Benn (2022, May 4). Pics of abuse suffered by Malachi Subecz didn't reach police until after his murder (Stuff).
2. Duff, Michelle (2022, May 4). The boy who could name every dinosaur: ‘We tried to save him,’ family says (Stuff).
3. Griffiths, Ethan (2022, May 3). Tauranga child killer who beat, burnt 5yo Malachi Subecz was his carer (Bay of Plenty Times).
4. Lines-MacKenzie, Jo (2022, May 3). Details of horrific abuse inflicted on 5-year-old murder victim revealed (Stuff).
5. Mather, Mike (2022, May 3). Child killer facing tough times behind bars (Stuff).
6. Quill, Annemarie (2022, May 5). Inside the home where five-year-old Malachi Subecz was abused to death (Stuff).