Annette Steward: Darren John Chalmers pleads guilty to shocking murder of Geelong mum
The man accused of murdering Geelong woman Annette Steward has pleaded guilty in a Melbourne court, ending three decades of questions over her shocking death.
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The man accused of murdering Geelong woman Annette Steward more than 30 years ago has pleaded guilty in a Melbourne court.
Darren John Chalmers, 56, fronted the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday for a committal mention where the unexpected plea was heard.
He was extradited to Victoria from Western Australia in March charged with the 29-year-old mother’s murder.
Chalmers, appearing via video link from Barwon Prison wearing a green shirt, reading glasses and sporting a grey handlebar moustache, spoke only briefly.
Magistrate Rohan Lawrence told the court he was satisfied there was enough evidence for a jury to convict Chalmers on the charge, before asking him how he would plead.
Looking down at his hands, Chalmers replied:
“Guilty, your honour.”
Ms Steward’s naked body was found in the bedroom of her Hope St home, in Geelong West, on March 18, 1992.
Police alleged she was strangled by Chalmers two days earlier on March 16, according to a charge sheet released in his first mention in court.
Ms Steward’s slaying was one of the most shocking cold cases in Geelong’s history.
The mother-of-two was a factory worker in Point Henry at the time of her brutal death.
Defence lawyer Amy Brennan said there was no application for bail.
A $1m reward for information relating to her murder was offered by Victoria Police in 2015.
Chalmers will now front the Melbourne Supreme Court on August 28 for a directions hearing.
He is already serving life in a WA prison for the vicious murder of Dianne Barrett, 60, in the Perth suburb of Medina.
She was first reported missing in May 2019.
He would later confess to police to choking her using his hands and a metal bar.
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Originally published as Annette Steward: Darren John Chalmers pleads guilty to shocking murder of Geelong mum
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