Alleged William Holdback killers Liam and Brian Slann plead not guilty to murder

The mother of alleged stabbing victim William Holdback has said she hopes to “get justice” for her son as his accused killers plead not guilty to murder.

Alleged father-son murderers Brian Frederick Slann and Liam Slann both told Adelaide Magistrates Court on Thursday that they would contest the charges against them in relation to the 21-year-old’s death.

Kylee Butterick, the mother of William, said in a written statement after the answer charge hearing that the pleas were “not what (she) expected”.

“But we are ready to fight and get justice for William,” she said.

“I’m heartbroken as we have to go through a trial, which is a couple of years out. It just elongates everything, the courts are so full.

“It’s approaching a year since we lost Will and he was such a good boy. We are living a parent’s worst nightmare.”

Prosecutors have charged the Slanns with murder for the alleged early morning slaying of William in the inner-city Adelaide suburb of Welland on April 10 last year.

The gruesome events were allegedly captured on CCTV, which appears to show Mr Holdback screaming for help as he is chased down the street at about 1am.

He suffered critical injuries in the alleged stabbing attack.

A group of musicians rehearsing nearby told police they heard Mr Holdback’s screams and tried to help the young man, but he died at the scene.

Police launched a large-scale hunt for the alleged offenders after finding Mr Holdback’s body in the area, arresting Liam on April 14 and his father Brian on April 19.

Some 50 officers were attached to the investigation.

Investigators believe Mr Holdback and his alleged killers knew one another and arranged to meet at Welland at 1.30am.

Brian and Liam appeared in court via videolink from prison, with Brian sporting a green prison shirt and glasses and Liam wearing a blue shirt.

The two men said, “Not guilty, your honour” after Magistrate Simon Smart read out the charges to them.

The Slanns will now face trial at South Australian Supreme Court, with a first hearing booked for June 2.

At an earlier hearing in October last year, Ms Butterick spoke outside the court and said there were “no words” to describe her heartbreak after her son’s death.

“This has affected hundreds of people’s lives,” she said.

“We miss him. We miss him so much.”