Further arrests over the alleged murder of a Victorian teenager whose body was found in a burnt-out car have not been ruled out as two men and a woman face court.
The remains of Charlie Gander, 19, were discovered on Christmas Eve after firefighters were called to put out a vehicle fire near a wildlife reserve in northern Victoria.
Police were called to Loch Garry Rd in Bunbartha, near Shepparton, after the fire was doused at about 10am.
Mr Gander’s body was identified inside the burnt-out car.
Six days later, on December 30, Victoria Police announced two men and a woman had been arrested over the alleged killing.
On Tuesday, Danny Clarke, 38, Dimitri D’Elio, 24, and Kylie Ann Stott, 37, appeared before the Shepparton Magistrates’ Court on murder charges.
Details of the alleged murder were not read out in court, however court documents reveal it’s alleged Mr Gander was murdered on Christmas Eve within the City of Greater Shepparton.
Arresting officer, Detective Senior Constable Alex Nucci, told the court the investigation was ongoing and that police had not ruled out further arrests.
“This is a very complex case,” he said.
“We are still conducting the investigation … and there are other avenues of inquiry.”
Detective Senior Constable Nucci said police were still pouring through “potentially hundreds of hours” of CCTV footage as part of their investigation and that there would need to be “extensive” forensic analysis of items seized from the accused trio.
He told the court police had conducted interviews with the three accused, with two denying they were involved in the alleged murder and the other providing a no comment interview.
Speaking about Ms Stott, Detective Senior Constable Nucci told the court “she provided a version of events that are not consistent with what’s being investigated”.
Ms Stott sobbed in the courtroom as her lawyer, Rebecca Park, told the court Ms Stott suffers from PTSD and separation anxiety from her children.
The court heard the “state of the remains” would delay an autopsy report by pathologists, which prosecutors believe will be “integral” to the case against the trio.
A prosecutor said police would require 18 weeks to prepare a brief of evidence against each of the alleged killers.
This was challenged by Ms Park, who argued the court should impose a shorter timeline to allow defence to get started, and potentially apply for bail.
However, Magistrate David Faram said the delay was “not unreasonable” given the circumstances of the case.
“The fact remains that this matter goes nowhere without the pathology,” he said.
“These are serious matters.”
All three were remanded into custody ahead of their next court appearance in June.
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