Alleged schoolgirl killer blamed lies to cops on mum

The man on trial for murdering Charlise Mutten claims her mother shot her. (Regi Varghese/AAP PHOTOS)

When police questioned Justin Stein's version of what happened to schoolgirl Charlise Mutten, the accused murderer changed his account to blame the girl's mother.

Justin Laurens Stein, 33, has pleaded not guilty to murdering the nine-year-old on or around January 12, 2022, at Mount Wilson, in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney.

He claims it was the nine-year-old's mother, Kallista Mutten, who shot the girl and that he initially lied to police to cover for her because the pair were in a relationship, his lawyer told a trial in the NSW Supreme Court earlier this week.

Kallista Mutten (centre, file image)
Kallista Mutten reported Charlise missing, telling police she had not seen her for two nights.

A jury was shown video on Friday of a second interview between Stein and police on January 14, four days before Charlise's body was recovered.

It had been dumped in a barrel near the Colo River after the girl sustained two gunshot wounds, to her head and lower back.

Ms Mutten had reported her daughter missing to police earlier that day, telling them she had not seen Charlise for the previous two nights.

Stein initially told officers Charlise had stayed with him in a property at Mount Wilson on the night of January 11 while Ms Mutten stayed in a caravan at the Riviera Ski Park, roughly 90 minutes away.

He claimed the girl had woken up sick the next morning and that he had left her in the care of a real estate agent who arrived to do an appraisal on the property while he went out.

Officers trying to locate Charlise pressured Stein into explaining the decision, which they said they were "worried about".

"You have told us that previous version wasn't entirely the truth," one of the officers said.

In the second interview, Stein recanted his previous story and alleged Ms Mutten had likely taken her own daughter for custody reasons.

"For once I haven’t done anything wrong here," he told police.

"The whole f***ing ... real estate lady thing - that's not my thing, that was Kallista's thing."

Entrance of Wildenstein Private Gardens (file image)
Stein admitted lying about leaving Charlise with a real estate agent at the Mount Wilson property.

Stein said the first time he heard about Charlise being missing was that day, when he was driving to Sydney.

"I got a phone call ... she basically dumped on me this far-fetched load of s***," he said.

"I do love the woman, like I want to protect her, but at the same time ... I'm the one who's going to get f***ed for something I genuinely am not involved in and haven't done."

Before her death, Charlise lived full-time with her grandparents in Tweed Heads, near the Queensland border.

They were given legal custody when Ms Mutten went to jail over a driving incident in which her passenger was killed, the court heard.

"Kallista has been talking about literally doing a runner with Charlise for quite some time," Stein told police.

He told police Charlise was most likely alive and potentially with her biological father, who the court heard earlier she had no relationship with.

"She isn't aware, but I've overheard her talking on a few occasions and they've been talking about Charlise and her going up to Tweed and all of that and him coming down," Stein said.

He also changed the timeline for the last time he saw Charlise, saying she stayed with her mother on the night of January 11 while he returned to the Mount Wilson property alone.

That was counter to what he initially told police, that Charlise stayed with him alone at the Mount Wilson property that night - making him the last person to have seen her.

"That was (Ms Mutten's) version ... and it makes me look completely f***ed.

"In reality I wasn't the last one."

The trial continues.

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store