A nine-year-old girl shared some heartbreaking words with her grandfather about the man accused of murdering her before her tragic death.
Justin Laurens Stein is accused of murdering Charlise Mutten on or around January 12, 2022, at Mount Wilson in the Blue Mountains, Australia, as reported by The Guardian.
The 33-year-old - who has pleaded not guilty - was in a relationship with Charlise’s mother, Kallista Mutten, at the time of her murder.
According to ABC News, it is alleged that Stein shot the nine-year-old girl in the head and back with a firearm before putting her body in a barrel, which was discovered on the banks of the Colo River four days after she was reported missing to police.
The schoolgirl's grandfather, Clinton Mutten, appeared as the first witness in the NSW Supreme Court trial, which is expected to last six weeks.
Charlise lived with her grandparents in Tweeds Heads since she was four after her mother - who was a long-term drug user - was unable to care for her.
"Kallista realized that she wasn't providing adequate care and she was quite happy for Charlise to come and live with us," the grandfather told the court.
Clinton revealed that he had a strong relationship with his late granddaughter, and said that she rarely needed discipline.
He shared that she excelled in school, loved reading, was "self-motivated" when it came to extracurricular activities, and often spoke about her dreams of becoming a veterinarian surgeon because of her love for animals.
Clinton also told the jury that Charlise was "excited" to travel to Sydney to spend time with her mother and Stein over the 2021-22 Christmas break.
He said that Charlise would have video calls with her mother, describing their relationship as "unconditional and very loving".
Mutten also heartbreakingly revealed that his late granddaughter "really liked" Stein, her accused murderer, and asked him if Stein "would be a good dad".
The courtroom was told the suspect searched "Colo River" on Google before allegedly dumping the barrel down an embankment before returning to Mount Wilson at 4:22AM on January 15.
According to the publication, a toxicology report revealed that there were traces of Stein's schizophrenia medication in the little girl's system.
Furthermore, defense barrister Carolyn Davenport SC disclosed in the court that the alleged murderer had changed his account several times because he had initially been trying to protect Kallista.
"'Charlise was killed... by her mother... near a chicken shed on the property," Davenport said. "He didn't know what happened to the child, he disposed of the body... he didn't put the body in the barrel but he did dispose of it."
Davenport claimed that evidence would show it was Charlise’s mother who had a motive to carry out the killing, rather than Stein, The Guardian reported.
The trial is expected to run for six weeks.
Our thoughts are with Charlise's loved ones at this time.
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