A man who co-hosted an occult-themed podcast has been charged with the alleged murder of his fiancée, just weeks after she featured on an episode of his show.
Tobias Marcus Nuttall, 32, was arrested on Wednesday, August 20, after police were called to a home on Reid Street in Bassendean around 12:30PM, per ABC News.
Officers found a 30-year-old woman suffering from stab wounds.
She was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital in critical condition but later died. Police have since confirmed she was Nuttall’s fiancée, Ali, who worked as an escort at a local brothel.
Nuttall appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on Friday, August 22, where he confirmed his name but did not enter a plea. He has been remanded in custody until his next scheduled court appearance at Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court on September 17.
Just last month, Ali was a guest on Nuttall’s occult-themed podcast, Waking World, alongside his British co-host Dale.
The episode focused on her experiences as a sex worker, and during the recording, Nuttall revealed that the couple had “recently got engaged.”
“[Ali] has been really, really awesome in terms of the level of transparency that goes into something like this,” he said during the show, per 7 News.
Ali, who was originally from New Zealand and moved to Western Australia as a child, spoke candidly about her background.
She said she became a stripper at 22 before working as an escort during the pandemic.
She also claimed that Nuttall had introduced her to occult practices such as “sex magic,” and the couple even discussed their belief that the Perth brothel where she worked was haunted.
In the wake of the alleged murder, Nuttall’s co-host Dale released a solo episode on Friday, describing the arrest as a shocking turn of events.
“It’s been a really hectic 24 hours actually... The Waking World podcast is not going to move forward any longer with Toby,” he said.
“It’s nothing to do with whether we’ve fallen out, it’s much worse than that. Toby has been charged or is being charged today with a very, very serious offence over in Perth... And it involves obviously his partner, his girlfriend that we had on the podcast. I know very little about it, but I got a call from Toby’s sister.”
Dale explained he first met Nuttall when the latter was working as a barista two years ago and that the two bonded over shared interests in spirituality and the occult.
“He’s a totally, totally unique character... He’s got this very posh English accent but he doesn’t live in England, his parents don’t have that same posh English accent. He comes from a normal family, his family are lovely.”
He added that he believed Nuttall “spends most of his time probably on amphetamines of some nature,” saying, “I don’t know how many times I met Toby in a totally sober state.”
According to Dale, the pair’s podcasts had become irregular after Nuttall moved to Perth and began his relationship with Ali.
Not everyone welcomed Dale’s reaction episode, per News.com.au.
Australian author Carly Findlay criticized the focus on Nuttall rather than Ali, writing that he made a “whole episode about how fascinating he found the alleged murderer, pondering whether the podcast will continue without the cohost.”
“Hardly a mention of the woman who was allegedly murdered,” she said.
As forensic officers continue their investigation at the Bassendean home, the case against Nuttall is moving forward. He remains in custody until his September court date.