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Charlise Mutten's grieving mother speaks out about her daughter's killer

The heartbroken mother of Charlise Mutten has spoken out about her "amazing little girl", and how she will never forgive herself for starting a relationship with the man who would go on to kill the nine-year-old. In her first TV interview, Kallista Mutten revealed what the final days were like between her, Charlise and Justin Stein - Kallista's partner - who was jailed for life in August after being found <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/unspeakably-vicious-judge-hands-down-verdict-to-justin-stein" target="_blank" rel="noopener">guilty</a> of Charlise's murder. In the days before the young girl's death in January 2022, the trio were celebrating Christmas in the Blue Mountains. Kallista revealed that during their holiday, Stein had asked Charlise to call him "daddy", saying he was “always going to be a father figure”. “That was a very touching moment for both of us because she’s always longed for a dad,” she told 60 Minutes. <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBDz4pqhG4e/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBDz4pqhG4e/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by 60 Minutes Australia (@60minutes9)</a> </div> </blockquote> Kallista and Justin met in 2018 in prison and formed their relationship on wanting to build a better life together, but Kallista now says she will always hate herself for trusting him. “I am forced to live with the fact that I trusted someone with my daughter and that because of my trust in someone, I put my daughter in harm’s way,” She said. "I hate myself for it. I really do. It’s taken this for me to wake up and realise that I already had someone that loved me … He’s a monster, pure evil.” The grieving mum opened up about the nature of her relationship, admitting that her time with Stein had been erratic, in no small part due to their drug use, but she never believed he was capable of what happened. “The thought of what she had gone, would’ve gone through, that’s … that’s what breaks me,” Ms Mutten said. “There is just not enough justice that will make it better for me and my family.” Ms Mutten said she understands why she was judged by those who blamed her for her daughter's death and now knows “Charlise deserved more”. “I do take accountability of the things that I have done,” she said. “I wish I had been there more for her and, like, I see that now and I’ve got to live with that.” While Kallista continues to mourn the loss of her daughter, she hopes Charlise is remembered as a bundle of joy with a kind soul. “We just had this amazing connection and that she just absolutely, she was my number one fan,” she said. “She just was just the most incredible amazing little girl.” Image credits: 60 Minutes / NSW Police / Facebook

Legal

Charlise Mutten's mum breaks silence

Kallista Mutten, the mother of murdered schoolgirl Charlise Mutten, has broken her silence in her first ever television interview. Nine-year-old Charlise was brutally murdered by her mother's then fiancée Justin Stein at his family home in the Blue Mountains, Sydney in January 2022. In August, Stein was sentenced to life in jail without parole, after he was <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/jury-decides-fate-of-accused-murderer-justin-stein" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found guilty</a> of Charlise's murder, having shot the little girl twice before dumping her body in a barrel. Since Charlise's murder, Kallista had been harassed in public and abused by people on public transport to the extent she could no longer go outside. In an upcoming interview for 60 Minutes that will air this Sunday night, Kallista broke her silence. "I'm not this monster, this unfit mother," she told reporter Dimity Clancey in a newly released preview. "Charlise deserved more." "I miss her so much, she believed in me," she continued through tears. Many have blamed her for the horrific murder that happened while Charlise was in her care. At the time, Charlise was visiting her mum and Stein in Sydney for Christmas from the Gold, where she lived with her grandparents. She spent the night of January 11 alone with Stein at his property in the Blue Mountains, while her mother stayed at a caravan about a 90-minute drive away. "I hate myself for it, I really do," Kallista said. The preview also showed footage of an agitated Stein pacing around the police interview room, while blaming Charlise's mum for the murder. "It was all her. I can't sit here and cover for her," he said. Kallista denied having any involvement in her daughter's death and broke down in tears during a hearing, where she read a victim's impact statement via audio video link. "(Charlise) just longed for you to be her dad. I just hate myself for being so wrong about you," she said at the time. "I am forced to live with fact I trusted someone and because of my trust I put my daughter in harm's way." In the 60 Minutes preview, a police detective said that Stein "weaved a web of wicked lies and deception", with Kallista describing her former partner as "pure evil". Images: Nine

Family & Pets

"Unspeakably vicious": Judge hands down verdict to Justin Stein

After a lengthy trial into the murder of nine-year-old Charlise Mutten, 33-year-old Justin Stein has had his fate read in court. At the NSW Supreme Court in Sydney on Monday, Stein was sentenced to life in jail without parole after he was found guilty of fatally shooting the schoolgirl in the face before dumping her body in a barrel. Justice Helen Wilson delivered the sentence and unleashed on Stein, saying he was "completely without remorse" and "without humanity or morality". Justice Wilson said the shooting that took place at Stein's lavish family home in the Blue Mountains in January 2022 was "unspeakably vicious and murderous", saying, "These were deliberate acts, and the second shot was an execution shot. He undertook these actions intending to kill her." "He sought to blame Charlise's mother for his own indecent conduct. Charlise was not just a child; she was a very young child at nine years and five months of age." "Charlise had come to refer to the offender as 'Daddy'. This crime represents an egregious breach of that trust." Wilson explained that Charlise was murdered after she was drugged with Stein's schizophrenia medication, as she said, "She would have been in a state of pronounced drowsiness; she had even less capacity to defend herself and flee from danger." Justice Wilson described Stein's supposedly tearful account of Charlise's death during the trial as "false" and said the tissue he used was dry. "From where I sat I could see very clearly, he was completely dry-eyed and did not shed a single tear," Justice Wilson said in disgust. "It might have been called theatre if it wasn't so calculated." "Some instances of murder are so grave that the maximum penalty is the only appropriate penalty." In a recent hearing, Charlise's mother Kallista Mutten broke down in tears and told her former fiancé, "I hate myself for trusting you." Ms Mutten read a victim's impact statement via audio video link as she told Stein. "[Charlise] just longed for you to be her dad. I just hate myself for being so wrong about you." "I am forced to live with fact I trusted someone and because of my trust I put my daughter in harm’s way." Image credits: Facebook / NSW Supreme Court

Legal

Haunting last pictures of Charlise Mutten revealed

The haunting last photos of nine-year-old Charlise Mutten have been released just hours after her step-father was found guilty of her murder. On Wednesday, Justin Stein was <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/jury-decides-fate-of-accused-murderer-justin-stein" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found guilty</a> for the murder of Charlise, who was killed in January 2022 while visiting her mother and step-father for Christmas. The jury reached their conclusion of Stein's guilt in just shy of two weeks following the four week trial, finding that Stein had killed Charlise at a Mount Wilson property owned by his parents before he wrapped her body and dumped it in a barrel down near the Colo River. Following the guilty verdict, a series of photos were released by the court, which document some of the final days of Charlise's life. In the photos, Charlise can be seen holding a pair of dolls and smiling for the camera as her mother, Kallista, snapped the image of her daughter. Kallista then sent the photo to her mother and Charlise's grandmother Deborah on Christmas morning 2021. “Thanks for the present and Merry Christmas from us all,” Kallista said to Deborah via Facebook.“Thanks for the present and Merry Christmas from us all,” Kallista said to Deborah via Facebook. Deborah and her husband Clinton were Charlise's main guardians, as Charlise had been living with them on the Gold Coast. Charlise can also be seen in a picture on January 8th, just days before she was killed, swimming in a pool, and on January 10th, she was photographed by her mother poking a face next to a broken window. The photo was sent to Stein by Kallista along with a message saying, “I’m sorry I’m such a screw up can we still get married”. Just two days later on January 12th, Charlise was killed. Stein will face a sentence hearing in August, where he faced life in prison for murder. Image credits: NSW Police / Facebook

Caring

Jury decides fate of accused murderer Justin Stein

The jury has handed down their verdict to Justin Stein after a lengthy trial into the murder of schoolgirl Charlise Mutten. Stein, Mutten's stepfather, was found guilty of murdering the nine-year-old and disposing of her body in barrel in the Blue Mountains. Charlise's body was found near the Colo River, northwest of Sydney on January 18th 2022, with gunshot wounds to her face and lower back. The jury deliberated for almost two weeks before delivering its verdict on Wednesday morning, following a four-week trial. Throughout the trial, Stein admitted to disposing of Charlise's body after her death in January 2022, but maintained that the young girl's mother, Kallista Mutten, had been the one to murder the child. Kallista denied having any involvement in her daughter's death and broke down in tears when faced with the accusation in court. As she dismissed the jurors, Justice Helen Wilson thanked them for their service. She said "quite a lot of people" had told her at the beginning of the proceedings that they did not feel they could listen to evidence about the death of a child. <div data-component="EmphasisedText"> "It's not an easy thing to hear evidence about something as distressing as the violent death of, particularly, a child," she said. </div> "That's upsetting, I think, for most people. It's also difficult to sit in judgement on a fellow member of the community." "In being willing to do both those things, you've played a very important role in our criminal justice system." Stein will now face a sentence hearing on August 23rd, where is he faced with life in prison for the murder charge. Image credits: 9News / NSW Police

Legal

Charlise Mutten's mother flees court in tears

Charlise Mutten's mother has broken down and fled the courtroom in tears after being accused of murdering her nine-year-old daughter. Kallista Mutten was grilled by her ex-fiancé Justin Stein's lawyer on Tuesday about her excessive methamphetamine use, including while pregnant with his child. The grilling began when Carolyn Davenport SC accused her by saying, "You shot and killed your daughter", to which Ms Mutten replied, "Are you serious?" She then burst into tears, crying out "I didn't even know where she was shot" before Ms Davenport added that Mr Stein "had seen you deliver the second shot". After being excused from the witness box, Ms Mutten ran out of the courtroom in tears, while the jury were temporarily sent out. The dramatic moment came after Ms Mutten admitted taking methamphetamine even when her daughter came to visit. Ms Mutten was being cross-examined on day 12 of Stein's trial, who has been charged with Charlise's murder in January 2022. The 40-year-old admitted to having psychotic episodes while on using ice and had continued to take the drug despite her Charlise's visit during the summer school holidays in 2022. She denied she and Charlise were not getting along in the days before her death, or that she had been told to leave the Stein's Mount Wilson property, and instead left of her own accord. "I chose to leave because I didn't want to be there any more. Yeah, I was very hormonal, I was pregnant. Yeah, I was using, yeah. My emotions were very strong at the time," she said. Stein, 33, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Charlise, but has admitted to disposing the schoolgirl's body. Image credits: Daily Mail / Facebook / Nine News

Legal

Bombshell allegations in murder case of young school girl

The man accused of murdering nine-year-old Charlise Mutten has claimed her mother was the one to pull the trigger. Justin Stein, 33, is facing trial for allegedly murdering Charlise in January 2022 at Mount Wilson, in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. Nine-year-old Charlise was shot once in the head and once in the back, with her body recovered from a barrel dumped near the Colo River, four days after she was reported missing by her mother. On Monday, Stein formally pleaded not guilty to the charges, and has now alleged it was actually Charlise's mother who killed her and helped stuff her body in a barrel before lying to police. The court heard that Stein was in a relationship with Charlise's mother Kallista Mutten, as the pair met while both serving jail sentences. Both parties struggled with substance abuse, as Kallista had been using ice since she was in her early 20s, while Justin had been undergoing treatment for heroin addiction. Before the alleged murder, Stein and Kallista broke into a neighbour’s home near the Mount Wilson property, taking two firearms, crown prosecutor Ken McKay SC told the jury. Stein initially told police the girl may have been taken by unknown persons, but later told a corrections officer Kallista had shot and killed her daughter and that he had helped dispose of the body. According to Stein’s lawyer, Carolyn Davenport SC, Stein had been inside a shed on the Blue Mountains property when he heard a gunshot, and had gone outside to see Kallista shooting her daughter a second time. At the time of her death, Charlise was living with her grandparents at Tweed Heads, and had flown to Sydney on December 21st with plans to spend Christmas and New Year’s Eve with her mother and Stein. Image credits: ABC / NSW Police

Legal

Major update in the murder case of Charlise Mutten

The stepfather of schoolgirl Charlise Mutten will fight the charges of Charlise's murder after pleading not guilty in court. Justin Stein, 32, appeared at Penrith Local Court via audiovisual link on Friday morning, facing a range of charges including murder, interfering with a corpse, and possession of child abuse material. Stein is accused of <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/devastated-more-details-released-on-charlise-mutten-as-community-mourns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">murdering</a> nine-year-old Charlise, the daughter of his fiancé, in January 2022 and dumping her body in a plastic barrel. Charlise's body was found with gunshot wounds in bushland near the Colo River in NSW’s Central Tablelands, after she was staying in Blue Mountains on a family holiday. Mr Stein’s lawyer Peter Katsoolis entered not guilty pleas to the <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/charlise-mutten-s-alleged-killer-facing-fresh-charges" target="_blank" rel="noopener">charges</a> of murder, interfering with a corpse and possession of child abuse material. When asked by Magistrate Fiona Toose whether he was pleading not guilty, Mr Stein said, “Yes, that’s correct”. He will be arraigned in the Supreme Court in July. Outside the courtroom, Mr Katsoolis told reporters Mr Stein will be defending the charges. “He’s maintained his innocence from the outset in relation to these charges, and they’ll be vigorously defended,” Mr Katsoolis said. Charlise had been visiting her mother and Mr Stein at a Blue Mountains property, where police allege she was killed. There is no suggestion that Charlise’s mother was involved in her death, and she has never been accused of any wrongdoing in regards to her death. Prior to her death, Charlise had been living in Coolangatta, QLD, with her grandparents. Mr Stein was arrested in January 2022 and has remained behind bars on remand ever since. Image credits: Facebook

Legal

Murdered schoolgirl’s mum charged with home invasion

The mother of murdered school girl Charlise Mutten has been charged for allegedly breaking into a home in the Blue Mountains. Police will allege Kallista Mutten, 39, accompanied her fiancé Justin Stein with breaking into a home in the Blue Mountains and taking firearms. Stein, 31, is accused of murdering Kallista’s daughter Charlise and is in custody where he maintains his innocence. The nine-year-old schoolgirl was staying with Stein over the summer holidays and was reported missing on January 14. Four days later, her body was found stuffed inside a barrel near the Colo River with a gunshot wound. There is no suggestion that her mother had anything to do with the murder. However, as investigations ensued, police found two firearms and ammunition near where Charlise was brutally murdered. Police are yet to confirm whether or not the firearms were used in Charlise’s murder. Police will further allege that Stein broke into a home in the Blue Mountains and stole the firearms in August last year. In May, police charged Stein with acquiring the two weapons during a home invasion in Mount Wilson. On July 26, police charged Kallista with allegedly accompanying Stein, with the break and entering of the property. “A woman’s been charged over her alleged role in a home invasion that was uncovered as part of ongoing investigations into the alleged murder of a girl in the Blue Mountains earlier this year,” NSW police said in a statement. “A 39-year-old woman attended Campbelltown Police Station on Tuesday where she was charged with aggravated break and enter in company.” Images: NSW Police/ABC

News

Charlise Mutten's alleged killer facing fresh charges

The man accused of murdering nine-year-old schoolgirl Charlise Mutten earlier this year has been hit with new charges. Jason Stein was <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/man-charged-with-murder-of-missing-9-year-old" target="_blank" rel="noopener">charged with the murder of his fiancé’s daughter</a> in January, after the little girl’s body was discovered in a barrel near the Colo River, about an hour from the Blue Mountains where she had disappeared from. After his arrest, police conducted a search in the bushland near Mt Wilson - the area where Charlise was last seen - and found two firearms and ammunition, which was seized and forensically examined. Police then visited Silverwater prison and arrested the 31-year-old, charging him with two counts of possessing an unregistered firearm, two for possessing an unauthorised firearm, possessing ammunition without a licence or permit, and aggravated break and enter in company. Mr Stein has also been charged with two counts of possessing child abuse material for unrelated matters. Meanwhile, investigations continue under Strike Force Buena, which was established to investigate Charlise’s disappearance. Images: 9News / Twitter

News

The touching way Charlise Mutten's memory will live on

Image: Facebook Charlise Mutten's former primary school has vowed to keep her memory alive by creating a permanent memorial area in her memory. Tweed Heads Public School, in northern NSW is mourning the loss of the nine-year-old after her body was discovered last week in a barrel dumped near the Colo River, North-west of Sydney. The schoolgirl lived fulltime with her grandparents on the Gold Coast was reported missing days earlier on January 14th from Wildenstein Private Gardens at Mount Wilson, where she was spending the holidays with her mother Kallista Mutten. Principal Peter Nichols has announced the school will create a memorial site for the allegedly murdered child, using flowers, cards, and other gifts laid at the school's front gates. A makeshift shrine featuring photos, bouquets, cards, and stuffed toys has amassed at the entrance since hundreds of mourners gathered at the campus for a candlelit vigil last Wednesday. 'On behalf of the school, I sincerely thank you for all the cards, flowers and other items placed at our fence,' Mr Nichols said in a statement on Tuesday. 'Every one of them acknowledges how much we all loved Charlise and how much we will all miss her.' Mr Nichols said the Red Cross offered to collect and collate the mementos into a book for Charlise's family to create a lasting token of the 'spontaneous and thoughtful memorial' that developed outside the school. 'To allow this to happen, all the mementos left at the school fence will be collected soon,' he said. 'This includes the flowers and plant material which will be mulched and used in the creation of a memorial area for Charlise.' Mr Nichols stated the charity organisation would be offering members of the school community further opportunities to contribute to the memorial book later on. Charlise's mother's fiancé, Justin Stein, 31, has been charged with murder and remains in custody.

Caring

Charlise Mutten’s mother speaks to police

Charlise’s Mutten’s mother Kallista has spoken to the police, according to The Daily Telegraph. According to their report, she gave a statement to police on Friday last week, in which she revealed that she initially believed her fiance Justin Laurens Stein’s explanation for why Charlise was not with him on January 13. A police source told the Telegraph, “He gave a story about where the kid was and she believed him, then later on she got concerned and reports her missing.” Ms Mutten called police at 8.20 am on January 14, sparking a search for Charlise before her body was found in a barrel on the banks of the Colo River five days later, 65km from where she was first reported missing. According to Deputy Commissioner Dave Hudson, police will allege in court that Mr Stein held phone conversations with Ms Mutten in the lead-up to Charlise’s body being discovered. He said, “[There were] a number of telephone conversations with the girl’s mother, to purchase a number of sandbags, 20kg sandbags from a hardware store, to fuel a boat and then try and float that boat on the water at one of the docks in inner Sydney.” Police will also allege Mr Stein drove to Sydney with Charlise’s body in the back of his boat, believing he had tried to launch it from an inner-Sydney dock. Police allege Charlise was killed by a bullet wound. Detectives say there is “no evidence” Ms Mutten was involved in her daughter’s disappearance. Charlise had been in her grandmother’s custody in Queensland, but was visiting her mother and soon-to-be-stepfather in NSW during the school holidays. Mr Stein is next due to appear in court on March 18.

News

Charlise Mutten's cause of death revealed

Image: 9News Detectives have revealed nine-year-old Charlise Mutten died from a gunshot wound. The Homicide Squad boss has called this and "unimaginable and egregious murder". The young girl was found dead in a plastic barrel on the banks of the Colo River in NSW last week. She was found an hour from where she was last seen in the Blue Mountains. Her mother's partner Justin Stein, 31, has been charged with her murder. "The cause of death of Charlise was that she suffered a fatal gunshot wound, and that's how she died," Homicide Squad Commander Danny Doherty said today. "We're disclosing this for investigative reasons but also just to clear up any ambiguity… this is the (alleged) murder of a nine-year-old girl." The family of the girl has only recently been told how she died. "It's important that they know, and it's important that the public know that this is an unimaginable and egregious (alleged) murder of a child," he said. Police are still searching the Mount Wilson property where Charlise was last seen and the surrounding areas for a gun. Detective Superintendent Doherty said the barrel Charlise was found in is believed to be from the property and police believe there is a "high probability" she died there. Charlise's mother Kallista Mutten has been reinterviewed and is being treated as a witness. Detective Superintendent Doherty said Ms Mutten was not believed to have been at the property at the time police allege Charlise was murdered. It comes as new CCTV was released, showing a ute towing a boat at multiple locations across Sydney. The CCTV footage shows the maroon coloured ute towing a covered boat at three locations on the evening of January 13. Just before 6pm, the ute pulls into a BP gas station at Marsden Park, in Sydney's north-west. At 7:17 pm the ute and boat are spotted in traffic in Drummoyne, in Sydney's inner west. Minutes later, close to the Five Dock Bay Boat Ramp near Drummoyne, the ute is captured on a home's private security system. Police believe the little girl was killed on January 11th or 12th. Charlise was visiting her mother for the school holidays from Queensland, where she lives, at the time of her death.

News

New messages between Charlise Mutten’s mum and Justin Stein emerge

Messages sent by the mother of Charlise Mutten about her fiancé have emerged as investigations continue into the young girl’s death. Kallista Mutten messaged a friend through Facebook, telling them how she had fallen in love with Justin Stein and that he treated her “so good”. “He’s amazing and treats me so good,” she told her friend, according to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/before-her-daughter-was-allegedly-murdered-kallista-mutten-was-getting-life-on-track-20220121-p59q85.html" target="_blank">The Sydney Morning Herald</a>. “He’s completely loyal and I have no worries, I know his heart is with me.” The couple met while Ms Mutten was serving a three-year sentence in prison for causing a car crash that killed her passenger in 2017. She was high on ice at the time of the crash. After exchanging letters for the final two years of her sentence, the pair were engaged shortly after her release. They had plans to move to North Queensland and start their lives together, with Ms Mutten recently getting her driver’s licence after a long suspension. Ms Mutten also shared her excitement over her daughter coming to visit her at her fiancé’s family property in the NSW Blue Mountains for Christmas. “My daughter comes on the 21st, so I’m looking forward to that,” she wrote on December 5, as reported by the Herald. One month later, Charlise’s remains were found inside a barrel in bushland by the Colo River, with police alleging that Mr Stein has murdered her at his family’s property. Mr Stein has been remanded in Silverwater Prison, while Ms Mutten remains in hospital. Police are yet to have a chance to speak to her but are keen to do so to aid their investigation. The <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10433165/Charlise-Muttens-mother-sent-friends-Facebook-messages-doting-fiance-alleged-murder.html" target="_blank">Daily Mail</a> reported that Ms Mutten stayed at Sydney Clinic last November - which has treated Andrew O’Keefe, AFL player Ben Cousins, and reality TV star Suzi Taylor - and was housed in the clinic’s substance abuse unit. A fellow patient told the publication that Ms Mutten was visited by Mr Stein during her stay at the clinic, describing her as “over the top” and “very attention seeking”. The patient said Ms Mutten spoke about her upcoming wedding to Mr Stein in 2022 and claimed that she and Mr Stein “had sex in the back of the ute” after one of his visits. Though Sydney Clinic holds three-step group therapy sessions for patients, Ms Mutten’s fellow patients said she seemed uninterested in participating, according to the Daily Mail. Ms Mutten was convicted in November 2017 of dangerous driving occasioning death and driving with an illicit substance in her system, serving over two years in prison for the incident that killed her 53-year-old friend and passenger Karen ‘Kaz’ Bunch. Images: The Daily Mail

News

Hundreds gather to mourn Charlise Mutten

A sombre, candlelight vigil <a rel="noopener" href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/tears-flow-at-vigil-for-murdered-schoolgirl-charlise-mutten-211910839.html" target="_blank">has been held</a> for nine-year-old Charlise Mutten, who was allegedly murdered while holidaying with family in the NSW Blue Mountains. The vigil, held at Tweed Heads near the Queensland-NSW border, saw locals gather from 7.15 pm on Wednesday night. Mourners held candles and left bouquets and messages outside the gates of Tweed Heads Public School, the school Charlise had been attending. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7846947/vigil1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/70b616652e7e46529b4b3413b3ad7893" /> More than 100 people gathered for the candlelight vigil held for Charlise Mutten outside Tweed Heads Public School, which she attended. Images: 9News Despite the light rain, about 150 people gathered outside the school for the vigil, where several speakers shared emotional tributes to the young girl. “Charlise loved coming to our little lunchtime drama club,” <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/vigil-for-nine-year-old-girl-found-in-barrel-held-tweed-heads-man-charged-murder/3644467d-5827-412f-bde6-6ac33c28b31d?ocid=Social-9NewsGC" target="_blank">said</a> Emily Carey, a teacher at Tweed Heads Public School. “She was always funny, very entertaining, and full of wit.” Another message, written by a classmate, read: “Dear Charlise, I was in your class in year two, it makes me really sad what happened to you. “You were a really nice person and I wish you were coming back to school with me. “Rest in Peace.” A message on the school’s notice board read: “don’t count the days, make the days count”. In a statement on Wednesday morning, the school said it was “absolutely devastated” by the young girl’s death. <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Ftweedheadspublicschool%2Fposts%2F339127968218848&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="770" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe> “Charlise was a much loved member of our school who brightened all our days, every day,” the statement read. The school <a rel="noopener" href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/devastated-more-details-released-on-charlise-mutten-as-community-mourns" target="_blank">shared</a> a recent photo of Charlise holding a literacy award she received at their end-of-year presentation day. Prime Minister Scott Morrison also shared his condolences for the family after the five-day search for the missing girl tragically ended. “You hope for the best, you pray for it, but it doesn’t always occur,” Mr Morrison said. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7846946/vigil2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/6cb3d994e5344e3fa6a866a6f5ecb986" /> Students who knew and attended school with Charlise were among those who left messages for her at Wednesday night’s vigil. Images: 9News Charlise’s body was discovered near the Colo River after police and volunteers from the Rural Fire Service and SES searched bushland around the Wildenstein Private Gardens at Mount Wilson, about 120 kilometres northwest of Sydney. Detectives searched the property - where Charlise was last seen alive - for several hours on Tuesday before her body was found. Her stepfather, Justin Stein, has been <a rel="noopener" href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/charlise-mutten-s-accused-killer-fronts-court-with-two-requests" target="_blank">arrested and charged</a> with her murder, with police alleging he attempted to dispose of her body in inner Sydney before travelling back to the Colo River. Mr Stein appeared before a magistrate’s court on Wednesday, where he was refused bail. The case is due back in court on March 18. Investigations into Charlise’s death are ongoing, with police yet to determine how she died or whether there was a motive behind her murder. Image: 9News

Caring

"Rot in hell": Charlise Mutten's alleged killer attacked online

A Facebook post from 2020 announcing the engagement of Charlise Mutten's alleged killer, Justin Stein, and her mother, Kallista Mutten, has been inundated with death threats and violent messages. After a five-day search for nine-year-old Charlise, NSW Police confirmed the worst when her body was found in a barrel in bushland near the Blue Mountains where she went missing. Shortly after her body was found, Justin Stein was arrested for murder, but major questions still linger about the case. Police have been unable to interview Charlise's mother Kallista, who remains under medical supervision and remains "difficult to approach", according to police. As news of Justin Stein's arrest broke, a Facebook post from December 2020 sharing news of Justin and Kallista's engagement has been flooded with hateful messages, with many telling the 31-year-old man to "rot in hell". The post has attracted over 2,000 comments with people sending death threats and photos of nooses, all while seeking vengeance for the slain nine-year-old girl. One person wrote, “I hope you only know pure hell for the rest of your days!”, while another said, “Monster! Hope you rot in jail.” Others shared their sadness and disbelief over Charlise's death, with one person saying, “What a broken world! That poor precious girl deserved so much better in this world! Rest easy little one, no one will ever hurt you again.” A milestone post announcing the couple's new relationship, which began just one month before their engagement, has attracted a slew of similar comments. Charlise usually lives with her grandmother in the Queensland town of Coolangatta, but was spending time with her mother and step-father over the school holidays. Image credits: Facebook

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Parents of accused killer break their silence

Image: 9News Justin Stein, who grew up among Sydney’s affluent elite, had a “tortured” life, his mum says, as her son remains behind bars, charged with murdering his stepdaughter. Annemie Stein said she had not approved of her son’s turbulent relationship with Charlise’s mother, ex-ice addict Kallista Mutten. They had been together for just over a year. “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them drink, or choose their partners, and sometimes it ends up in a headache like this one,” Ms Stein, 56, said from her home in Sydney’s inner-west. “Justin’s had a pretty tortured life.” “It would hurt anyone (to have a child go through this), it doesn’t matter who you are it would hurt you because parents know their children and, you know, as I said, the mother is the one they need to talk to.” Kallista Mutten remains under medical supervision in hospital. Kallista's mother said that Charlise was soon to be her step-granddaughter before she was allegedly murdered and her body stuffed in a barrel. She says was: “A lovely little girl and beautiful little girl and definitely didn’t deserve this.” Meanwhile, in rural NSW, Justin Stein’s father James Stein revealed he had not seen his son for some time. James Stein Snr, who split with Annemie Stein more than a decade ago, now runs an antique shop at Mount Victoria in the Blue Mountains with his partner. It appears the family has been torn in two for a number of years. His oldest son, James Jnr, and his partner Keegan Buzza, are also understood not to have seen Justin since about 2016. Together the Steins still own the luxurious Wildenstein wedding venue where Charlise was staying for a holiday when she went missing. Having had little to do with his son in recent times, James Stein Snr said he had never met young Charlise, but was left “heartbroken” by her death: “Absolutely heartbroken. It‘s a tragedy. I’d never met her, so there you go. "I‘m a father... I hope you never have to go through circumstances like these.” Ms Mutten lost custody of Charlise in 2018 while she was serving a minimum of two years two months for dangerous driving causing death while high on ice.

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Charlise Mutten's accused killer fronts court with two requests

The man accused of murdering his stepdaughter Charlise Mutten has made two requests via his lawyers, including that he be kept separate from other prisoners while in custody. Nine-year-old Charlise’s body was found on Tuesday night in a barrel near the Colo River - about an hour from where she disappeared on a private property in Mount Wilson, in NSW's Blue Mountains, last week. Justin Stein <a rel="noopener" href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/man-charged-with-murder-of-missing-9-year-old" target="_blank">was arrested</a> by police that night, before appearing in Central Local Court on Wednesday morning. Mr Stein did not apply for bail, and it was formally refused. His barrister told Magistrate Robert Williams that the 31-year-old needed his medication for mental health issues while in custody, and that Stein was concerned for his own safety. “The other matter I’m instructed to raise relates to his concerns for personal safety in custody,” the barrister <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10419847/Charlise-Mutten-Stepdad-Justin-Stein-fears-safety-prison-charged-murder.html" target="_blank">said</a>. “He has asked the court to recommend a no association classification.” However, Magistrate Williams said Corrective Services could only separate the accused from other prisoners. The barrister also requested a 12-week adjournment from the court to seek a mental health assessment for Mr Stein, noting his “long-term medication”. The hearing comes after police alleged Mr Stein drove around Sydney with Charlise’s body in the back of a boat for hours while he tried to find a place to dump her, the <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-nsw/charlise-muttens-accused-killer-justin-stein-drove-around-sydney-with-her-body/news-story/79a4494a4ac0a842b010f7df7c3716a4" target="_blank">Daily Telegraph</a> reports. It is understood that detectives believe her mother Kallista Mutten had left Charlise in her fiance Mr Stein’s care on Tuesday night - the last time she was confirmed to be alive. Police will allege that Charlise was killed within 15 hours, sometime between 7 pm on Tuesday, January 11 and 10 am Wednesday, January 12. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7846933/charlise1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/fc6373651a4841a2b9c62fa63db7d754" /> Dozens of volunteers from the NSW Rural Fire Service and SES joined police to search for Charlise Mutten before her body was found on Tuesday. Image: NSW Rural Fire Service (Facebook) The young girl was then reported missing from the Blue Mountains property where she was holidaying with her mother and stepfather on Friday morning. Her grandparents, who live in Coolangatta on Queensland’s Gold Coast, had full time custody of Charlise and have been notified. Detectives have said they are still waiting to speak to Ms Mutten because she is under “medical supervision” in hospital and is “difficult to approach”. “The mother is currently under healthcare and is difficult to approach,” Deputy Police Commissioner David Hudson said. “She’s under medical supervision, but when doctors allow, we will be talking to her.” Mr Hudson also said it was too early to determine whether Mr Stein had an accomplice or acted alone, though police were able to trace Mr Stein’s movements using CCTV. The deputy commissioner said police were able to establish certain facts about Mr Stein’s movements after tracking a car they seized via CCTV. He allegedly bought five 20kg sandbags from Bunnings, fuelled up a boat, and attempted to launch it from a dock in inner Sydney. Police then allege that Mr Stein attempted to dump the barrel containing Charlise’s body in the Colo River after finding the boat was inoperable. However, they allege he was unable to roll it in due to the heavy sandbags, instead dumping Charlise in the scrub where she was later found. At a press conference on Wednesday morning, Mr Hudson said authorities will allege that Mr Stein discussed buying sandbags and boat fuel in “a number of telephone conversations” before he travelled to the riverbed where his stepdaughter was found. “(There were) a number of telephone conversations, to purchase a number of sandbags,” Mr Hudson said. Police were initially investigating a number of “anomalies” they claimed to find in Mr Stein’s initial testimony, including allegedly giving two separate versions of events leading up to Charlise’s disappearance. More details about the young girl’s death and final moments are expected to emerge in the coming days, after her post-mortem results are shared with detectives. Image: NSW Police / Facebook

Legal

Father’s fury over Charlise Mutten’s fate

Image: Facebook The biological father of missing girl, Charlise Mutten, whose body was found inside a barrel in NSW’s Blue Mountains overnight has paid tribute to his “beautiful” daughter. The 9-year-old was holidaying with her mother Kallista Mutten and stepfather Justin Laurens Stein at a wedding estate in Mt Wilson when she was reported missing at 8:20 am on Friday. Stein, the fiance of Ms Mutten, has since been charged with her murder. Her biological father spoke out about the situation in a Facebook post earlier on Wednesday. “Goodbye you beautiful little girl. I love you so much. I miss you every day! You have captured the hearts of the nation and the world, and now those hearts are breaking, with mine,” he wrote. “This doesn’t happen! Kids need to be safe. What is wrong with you people???? “We will get the answers for you baby, and we will honour you properly. This is not the end of you or your story.” Police, SES and RFS crews spent the past five days searching bushland around the multimillion-dollar Wildenstein wedding venue, where the girl was staying with her mum and her mum’s fiance. Charlise usually lives with her grandmother in Coolangatta, Queensland, but was spending two weeks with her mother during the school holidays. According to acting Commissioner Webb said the cause of the child’s death is yet to be determined and the investigation remains ongoing. “The search will remain ongoing to look for any clues to help us identify the cause of the death,” she said. “I encourage people to come forward with information. There are still many elements of this investigation that we have to work through to determine exactly what happened from the time the young girl was reported missing up until last night when those remains were found.” Deputy Commissioner Dave Hudson said while investigators are still uncertain of exactly what happened, they were “certain” about a number of facts, sharing that police have alleged the accused placed her body in the barrel. "Things will unravel over the next week or so to find a cause of death, the purpose for a death, and try and identify exactly what happened so that the remaining family have some comfort in that,” he told reporters. He said the investigation is ongoing and that there is no evidence to support anything other than that the accused acted alone.

News

“Devastated”: More details released on Charlise Mutten as community mourns

The Gold Coast community is in mourning following the death of nine-year-old Charlise Mutten, who was allegedly murdered while staying in NSW's Blue Mountains on a family holiday. Charlise lived with her grandmother in the border town of Coolangatta, and attended the nearby Tweed Heads Public School. The school's Facebook page posted a tribute to Charlise, saying the school community is "absolutely devastated" to hear of her passing. The statement said, "Charlise was a much loved member of our school who brightened all our days, every day." <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Ftweedheadspublicschool%2Fposts%2F339127968218848&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="767" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe> Floral tributes have begun to appear near the school, where Charlise was due to return next week after the holidays. The school has also organised a candlelight vigil on the school grounds to honour the nine-year-old, as police continue their investigation into her death. A man was arrested in relation to Charlise's disappearance on Tuesday night, and is due to appear in court late on Wednesday afternoon. The partner of Charlise's mother Kallista Mutten <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-19/man-charged-with-murder-over-missing-9yo-girl-in-blue-mountains/100765502">was arrested</a> in Sydney's Surry Hills, after police found the body of a child was found in a barrel near the Colo River, about an hour from the Blue Mountains. The child's body has yet to be formally identified, but NSW Police say the remains are consistent with Charlise Mutten. Image credits: Facebook / NSW Police

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Parents of accused killer break their silence

Charlise Mutten's accused killer fronts court with two requests

Father’s fury over Charlise Mutten’s fate

“Devastated”: More details released on Charlise Mutten as community mourns

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