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A jury has found Justin Stein guilty of murdering schoolgirl Charlize Mutten, whose body was dumped in a barrel in a river near Sydney.
At the time of the nine-year-old’s death, Stein, 33, was in a relationship with Charlies’ mother, Calista Mutten, who he claims killed the girl.
The jury deliberated for nearly two weeks before reaching its verdict Wednesday, following a four-week trial.
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Charlize’s body was found near the Colo River, north-west of Sydney, on 18 January 2022 with gunshot wounds to the face and lower back.
At the time of her death, she was visiting her mother and Stein from the Gold Coast, where she lived with her grandparents.
Stein admitted to disposing of Charlize’s body, but said Mutten shot her daughter and placed her body in a barrel on the back of his body without his knowledge.
Muten denied any involvement in her daughter’s death and broke down in tears when faced with the accusation in court.
During Charlize’s visit, the trio split their time between a property at Mt Wilson, in the Blue Mountains, which was owned by Stein’s mother, and a caravan at Riviera Ski Park, about a 90-minute drive away.
Charlize spent the night of January 11 alone with Stein at Mount Wilson while her mother stayed in the caravan.
At the time, prosecutors said he killed the girl.
Toxicology revealed that Charlies had traces of the antipsychotic drug Seroquel, which Stein had a prescription for to treat schizophrenia, in her body.
The jury heard that an adult dose of the drug would have a profound sedative effect on a child.
Prosecutor Ken McKay SC told jurors they could find Stein killed Charlise when she became ill after giving her the drug, which he denied doing.
Stein said he agreed to a plan to cover up the murder, including lying to police that he had left the girl in the care of a woman who appraised property at the Mount Wilson estate.
He claimed he didn’t know Charlize’s body was in a barrel on the back of his ute until the next day and that he panicked and eventually threw himself off her remains when he found out.
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