Man, 55, extradited from WA charged with Geelong mum Annette Steward’s murder

A Surf Coast plasterer wrongly suspected in the murder of Geelong mum Annette Steward has reacted to the arrest of a man over her brutal slaying three decades ago.

Annette Steward image for cold case reward story.

A SURF Coast plasterer wrongly suspected in the murder of Geelong mum Annette Steward has reacted to the stunning arrest of a West Australian man in connection to her brutal slaying more than three decades ago.

Victoria Police have extradited a 55-year-old man from Western Australia to Melbourne to face court charged with her murder.

Ms Steward’s naked body was found in her Hope St bedroom on March 18, 1992.

The 29-year-old had been strangled with an electrical cord in a crime that shocked Geelong and much of the state.

The Hope Street house Annette Steward was found dead in. She had been strangled to death on March 18, 1992

And for the best part of 28 years, Torquay tradie Craig Rogers has had to live with moniker of being the main suspect in the horrific crime despite never wavering in his innocence.

He was named by a Victorian Coroner in 2007 as the prime suspect.

“We have moved on,” he told the Geelong Advertiser when asked about the stunning arrest of the West Australian man on Wednesday.

“The family and all that have been through the wringer.

“I have no further comment.”

Surf Coast tradie Craig Cameron Rogers was named as the prime suspect in the murder investigation of Annette Steward by a coroner in 2007. Photo: A Current Affair.

Mr Rogers and Ms Steward both worked at the Winchester ammunition factory at Point Henry and had been on-again-off, off again lovers at the time of her death.

Victoria Police posted a $1m reward for information which could solve the 29-year-old’s killing back in 2015.

Homicide detectives have made significant breakthroughs in the investigation in recrnt times, culminating in last week’s extradition from Western Australian.

The accused will face the Melbourne Magistrates Court on March 20.

Originally published as Man, 55, extradited from WA charged with Geelong mum Annette Steward’s murder