Bunbartha murder accused face court

Jun 27, 2023

In custody: Three people accused of the murder of a man whose body was found in a burnt out car at Bunbartha have faced court. Photo by Megan Fisher

Three people charged with the murder of a Wangaratta man whose body was found in a burnt out car at Bunbartha late last year will remain in custody as they await their next court date in August.

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Kylie Anne Stott, 38, of Shepparton, Danny Clarke, 39, of Shepparton and Dimitri D’Elio, 25, of Mooroopna are charged with the murder of 19-year-old Wangaratta man Charlie Gander.

All three are also charged with one count of arson, while Mr Clarke is charged with a second count of arson and Ms Stott is also charged with possessing 1,4-butanediol and committing an indictable offence while on bail.

The trio appeared briefly in court on a video link from the jail cells, as their lawyers and the prosecutor discussed how much time they would need before the matter next came to court.

Firefighters were called to a car fire on Loch Garry Rd about 10am on December 24, 2022.

After the fire was extinguished, the body of Mr Gander was found inside the vehicle.

The three were charged with murder on December 30.

Prosecutor Laura Zubreckyj asked for six weeks before the next committal date, as some material still needed to be provided to the defence.

Mr Clarke’s defence counsel Christopher Terry told the court his client’s matter was likely headed towards a committal hearing.

Ms Stott’s solicitor Rebecca Park told the court there was a hold-up, with a subpoena hearing likely needed for a covert recording by police on the next occasion.

The trio were remanded in custody, with their next appearance in court for a committal mention set down for August.