The Charlise Mutten homicide trial of accused killer Justin Stein has been despatched dwelling for the lengthy weekend after they failed to achieve a verdict on Friday.
The jury first retired on Thursday to determine if Stein murdered schoolgirl Charlise Mutten, 9, by taking pictures her within the face however have but to achieve a verdict.
However at 1pm on Friday, Justice Helen Wilson despatched the jury dwelling after they requested entry to a transcript of proof given by the accused’s mom, Annemie Stein.
Jurors, who’ve now been deliberating for about 5 hours, have beforehand requested for transcripts of the testimony of each Mr Stein and Charlise’s mom, Kallista Mutten.
Justice Wilson wished the panel members a great weekend and mentioned she would see them again in courtroom subsequent Tuesday.
In closing submissions on Thursday, the jury was advised the problem within the case shouldn’t be how the schoolgirl died, however who pulled the set off.
Justin Stein claimed Charlise’s mom Kallista Mutten shot and killed her personal daughter round 9pm on January 12, 2022.
The prosecution insisted Stein was the final particular person to see Charlise and had the chance to kill her between 7.16pm on January 11 and 10.06am on January 12
Charlise’s physique was discovered close to the Colo River, northwest of Sydney, on January 18, 2022 with gunshot wounds to her decrease again and a deadly shot to her face.
Stein, 33, has pleaded not responsible to murdering Charlise, claiming he heard Ms Mutten shoot her daughter, who cried out his identify after which ‘Mummy, no’ earlier than falling to the bottom on the Stein household property, Wildenstein, within the NSW Blue Mountains.
Justice Helen Wilson concluded her directions and summation of the proof within the NSW Supreme Court docket trial round lunchtime on Thursday.
Justin Stein has been on trial for a month accused of murdering nine-year-old Charlise Mutten
Charlise Mutten was shot and killed whereas on vacation together with her mom Kallista Mutten (above) who was then engaged to the accused, Justin Stein
Stein admitted dumping Charlise’s physique, however he mentioned Ms Mutten shot her daughter and positioned her physique in a barrel on the again of his ute with out his information.
Ms Mutten denied having any involvement in her daughter’s loss of life and broke down in tears when confronted with the accusation in courtroom.
Lots of the details of the case weren’t in dispute, together with that Charlise died from gunshot wounds she sustained at or close to a Mount Wilson property owned by Stein’s mom, the jury heard.
‘The problem shouldn’t be how Charlise died, it is who pulled the set off,’ Justice Wilson mentioned.
The decide advised jurors that in the event that they discovered there was an inexpensive chance that Ms Mutten shot her personal daughter, they need to discover Stein not responsible.
Charlise Mutten, 9, died from a gunshot wound to the face fired at shut vary in January 2022, after which her physique was dumped in a barrel on a riverbank
‘The Crown has no proof of somebody who noticed the taking pictures of Charlise by the accused,’ she mentioned.
Stein appeared because the defence’s solely witness within the trial, spending two days going over his model of occasions at first of the week.
On the time of her loss of life, Charlise had been visiting her mom and Stein from Queensland, the place she lived together with her grandparents.
Charlise stayed at Stein’s mom’s Sydney home, then with Ms Mutten and Stein – who had been engaged on the time, with the little lady calling the accused ‘Daddy’.
They divided their time between Wildenstein and a cabin on the Riviera Ski Gardens at Decrease Portland, the trial was advised.
Charlise spent the night time of January 11 alone with Stein at Mount Wilson, whereas her mom remained on the cabin, which is when prosecutors argued he killed her.
Crown prosecutor Ken McKay SC mentioned it was open for the jury to search out Stein had drugged and fatally shot Charlise.
The schoolgirl, who lived together with her grandparents in Coolangatta, had flown south to spend time together with her mom and her ‘stepdad’, Justin Stein when the tragedy occurred
A publish mortem discovered Charlise had traces in her physique of quetiapine, the ingredient in anti-psychotic prescription drug Seroquel, which Stein took for his schizophrenia.
The jury heard an grownup dose of the drug would have a profound sedative impact on a baby, however that it was troublesome to inform how a lot Charlise had been given.
Mr McKay mentioned a potential motive was that Stein killed Charlise when she grew to become sick after he gave her the drug.
Stein denied giving Charlise the treatment, as a substitute claiming that she was shot by Ms Mutten on the night of January 12.
He mentioned he had gone together with a plan to cowl up the homicide, together with mendacity to police about leaving the lady within the care of an imaginary lady who was valuing objects on the Mount Wilson property.
Stein claimed he was unaware Charlise’s physique was in a barrel on the again of his ute till the following day and that he panicked and finally disposed of her stays when he discovered.
