May 30th 2024.
As the search for nine-year-old Charlise Mutten continued, the mother of Justin Stein, the accused killer, began to question her son's story. The trial, which is taking place in the NSW Supreme Court, has seen 33-year-old Stein plead not guilty to the murder of young Charlise in January of 2022. The young girl's body was found in a barrel near the Colo River, and her mother, Kallista Mutten, reported her missing just four days prior.
In the beginning, Stein had told the police that he had last seen Charlise when he left her in the care of a woman who he believed to be a property valuer. This woman had supposedly been arranged to come to the property by Stein's mother, Annemie Stein, who owned it. However, when Ms. Stein took the stand as a witness in the trial, she stated that she had no recollection of telling her son about the valuer's visit. She had engaged this valuer earlier, but she did not remember arranging for her to return during the week of Charlise's disappearance.
When Ms. Stein arrived at the Mount Wilson property on January 14, she was met with a scene of chaos. The property was crawling with police officers, and she was informed that it had been declared a crime scene. During a conversation with one of the officers, which was recorded on a body-worn camera, she mentioned her son's claims of leaving Charlise with the property valuer. The officer responded by assuming that Stein would have all the details of the valuer, as he believed that no one would let a nine-year-old go off with a stranger. Ms. Stein quickly pointed out that this did not add up, and it was at this point that Stein admitted to lying about the valuer.
However, he claimed that it was Mutten who had come up with the story and instructed him to tell the police. This was supported by Mutten's earlier testimony, where she had given the same account of what had happened to her daughter. This led Stein's lawyer to suggest that he had witnessed Mutten shooting her daughter and was lying to protect her. Mutten denied these allegations when she was on the witness stand.
Ms. Stein also testified that she had spoken to her son on the evening of January 12, and he had mentioned that he was at Mount Wilson with Mutten and Charlise. She recalled hearing Charlise's voice in the background of the call, despite initially telling the police that she did not hear the girl. When the prosecutor questioned her about this, Ms. Stein maintained that she had heard a voice and denied adding this detail to her testimony to help her son.
On the morning of January 13, Stein called his mother, distressed and hyperventilating, to inform her that his car, Mutten, and Charlise were all gone. Ms. Stein had spent Christmas and the weekend before Charlise's disappearance with the young girl, and she described her as intelligent, polite, and a bit cheeky. The trial is ongoing, and the court has heard that Mutten had left the property in Stein's car after an argument, and he had reported it stolen to the police.
Ms. Stein's testimony has shed light on the events leading up to Charlise's disappearance, and she has maintained that she was not aware of any plans to harm the girl. The trial continues as the court tries to uncover the truth behind this tragic and heartbreaking case.
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