Alleged killer says he 'never touched' schoolgirl

A man on trial accused of murdering Charlise Mutten has denied drugging and shooting her. (Regi Varghese/AAP PHOTOS)

A man accused of murdering Charlise Mutten has denied drugging and shooting the girl, telling a court he "never touched her".

Justin Stein has pleaded not guilty to murdering Charlise in January 2022, claiming the girl's mother Kallista Mutten shot her.

Charlise's body was found dumped by the Colo River, northwest of Sydney, four days after she was reported missing, with gunshot wounds to her head and lower back.

Colo River (file image)
Charlise Mutten's body was found with gunshot wounds near the Colo River.

Stein has admitted dumping the girl's body and lying to police in initial interviews, but claims Ms Mutten shot Charlise and put her body in a barrel on the back of his ute without his knowledge.

Wrapping up his cross-examination on Tuesday, crown prosecutor Ken McKay SC put to Stein he had murdered Charlise.

"I'm suggesting you killed, you shot Charlise Mutten twice," Mr McKay said.

"I never touched her," Stein replied.

Toxicology revealed Charlise had traces in her body of the antipsychotic drug Seroquel, for which Stein had a prescription to treat schizophrenia.

The court was previously told an adult dose of the drug would have a significantly sedating effect on a child.

"Were you concerned that ... she was sick and you had given her Seroquel?" Mr McKay asked.

"I hadn't given her Seroquel," Stein replied.

Charlise had been visiting her mother and Stein, who were in a relationship at the time, over Christmas.

The group spent their time between a Mount Wilson property owned by Stein's mother and a caravan at the Riviera Ski Park, about a 90-minute drive away.

Kallista Mutten (file image)
Kallista Mutten has denied any involvement in her daughter's death.

Prosecutors allege Charlise spent the night alone with Stein at the Mount Wilson property on January 11 and he killed her either that evening or the next day.

During his evidence on Monday, Stein agreed he spent that night at the property with Charlise, but said the girl was alive the next day and travelled with him to pick Ms Mutten up from the caravan before all three went to Sydney.

According to Stein, the trio returned to Mount Wilson that evening and he was working in a shed on the property soon after 9pm when he heard a gunshot.

"I went outside the shed ... that's when I heard Charlise screaming, 'mummy, no', and then bang, there was a second gunshot," Stein said.

Ms Mutten has denied involvement in her daughter's death and broke down in tears when faced with the accusation from Stein's lawyer during her evidence.

Phone calls from jail between Stein and his mother Annemie contained different versions to what he would later claim happened in court.

"There's quite a number of mistakes in these phone calls," Stein admitted.

Inconsistencies included the time of night when he said Charlise was shot and when he became aware her body was in a barrel on the back of his ute.

In phone recordings played to the court, Stein told his mother Charlise was shot in the "wee hours" of January 13 morning, despite him testifying in court it was at least several hours earlier.

Mr McKay suggested Stein changed his version of events after reading a police brief of evidence contradicting his timeline.

Annemie Stein
Justin Stein told his mother Annemie a different story about his discovery of Charlise's body.

"There's a mistake there ... for when it actually happened," Stein said.

"There's a bit of confusion."

The day after he claims Ms Mutten shot her daughter, Stein was caught on camera buying bags of sand from Bunnings, which he says were for a patio he planned on resurfacing.

Stein told the court he was unaware Charlise's body was on the back of his ute until later, when the barrel came loose and he pulled over to refasten it.

He said he vomited when he made the grisly discovery.

But in another call with his mother, Stein said Ms Mutten told him Charlise was in the barrel while he was still at Bunnings.

"She goes, 'she's on the back of the ute' and I f***ing panicked," Stein told his mother.

He told the court: "I’m not sure why I said that last part."

"Just more confusion?” Mr McKay said.

"Yeah,” Stein replied.

Closing arguments are due to begin on Wednesday.

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store