Justin Stein jailed for life for ‘execution’ murder of nine-year-old Charlise Mutten

The man who murdered his partner’s nine-year-old daughter, little Charlise Mutten, has learnt his fate as he was sentenced for the vile crime.

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A remorseless murderer who shot his partner’s young daughter at point blank range before stuffing her body in a barrel has been jailed for life.

Justin Stein, 33, on Monday afternoon sat inside the Supreme Court in Sydney where he learned he will be jailed for life without the possibility of parole after he was earlier this year found guilty by a jury of murdering nine-year-old Charlise Mutten.

In handing down a life sentence, Justice Helen Wilson said Stein had lied to his former fiance Kallista Mutten, pretending to look for Charlise while he was preparing to dispose of her corpse, perjured himself when he lied on the witness stand, had not shown any contrition or remorse and had a bleak prospect of rehabilitation.

Stein killed Charlise at his family’s Mount Wilson property in early 2022 before he wrapped her body and dumped it in a barrel near the Colo River.

Charlise had lived with her grandparents in Tweed Heads and travelled to Sydney days before Christmas 2021 to spend the holidays with her mother.

It remains unknown exactly when Stein killed the young girl. But the court found he murdered her at some point in a 14 or 15-hour period between the evening of January 11 and the morning of January 12, 2022.

Justin Stein was on Monday morning jailed for life. Picture: Supplied

Charlise Mutten was murdered by Stein. Picture: Supplied

Crown prosecutor Ken McKay SC had asked for Stein to be handed a life sentence, with the court hearing the young girl turned to escape when she was shot in the hip, knocking her to the ground, before Stein shot the helpless girl in the face from point-blank range.

Stein had claimed he saw Ms Mutten shoot her daughter at his family’s Blue Mountains property on the night of January 12.

But it was a story rejected by Ms Mutten during her evidence, as well as being ignored by the jury.

Justice Wilson on Monday said Stein shed crocodile tears during his testimony when he falsely claimed that he witnessed Charlise being murdered by Ms Mutten.

During his testimony, Stein appeared to be crying, the court was told, and dabbed at his eyes with a tissue.

But, Justice Wilson, during her sentencing remarks on Monday, said he did “not shed a single tear”, describing the tissue as a “prop”.

“From where I sat, only about a metre from the witness box, I could see very clearly that, despite the offender’s presentation of distress, he was completely dry eyed,” Justice Wilson said.

Stein during an interview with police. Picture: Supplied

One of the last known pictures of Charlise. Picture: Supplied

It was one of many lies told by Stein.

The court was told Stein had claimed Charlise woke up on the morning of January 12 “throwing up everywhere” before he left her in the care of a female auctioneer.

At the time Charlise was killed, Ms Mutten was staying inside Stein’s caravan at Lower Portland, a 90-minute drive away.

On January 12, Stein picked up Ms Mutten and drove to Sydney, where they did drugs and had sex in Centennial Park, before returning to Mount Wilson at 8.44pm to find the house empty.

After the killing, Stein also sent messages to Ms Mutten and his mother pretending he was looking for Charlise, who he claimed could have been taken by his former criminal associates.

But, instead, he was driving around Sydney searching for places to dump her body, which had been stuffed in a barrel which was on the back of his ute.

A map showing the location of the barrel that contained Charlise’s body. Picture: Supplied

“I am satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that the offender shot Charlise in the face at close range as the two faced each other,” Justice Wilson said.

She said the shot to Charlise’s face was fired from about 30cm and amounted to an “execution”.

Justice Wilson described Stein’s actions as “unspeakably vicious”, noting the nine-year-old girl called him “daddy” and hoped would he would be the father she never had.

However, she said Stein’s motive remained unclear.

As well, there were unexplained features of the crime including that Charlise’s underwear was missing when her body was discovered.

“When her body was recovered on 18 January 2022, Charlise was dressed in the same clothes her mother had last seen her wearing, with the exception of her underpants, which were missing,” Justice Wilson said.

As well, Charlise was found with Mr Stein’s schizophrenia medication – Quetiapine – in her system.

But Justice Wilson said it could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Stein had administered her the drug.

Charlise’s mother Kallista Mutten. Picture: NewsWire/Gaye Gerard

Charlise was reported missing on the morning of January 14 and her body was discovered on January 18 before Stein was arrested later that day.

Stein’s DNA was found on a rifle that police found stashed on a fire trail.

The court was told the guns had been found by a walker on a fire trail near the Mount Wilson property, buried under a pile of sticks and wrapped in a blue tarp.

During the trial, the court was told the rifle used in the murder was stolen by Stein and Ms Mutten when they broke into another Mount Wilson home in August 2021.

Justice Wilson described Stein’s attempted to blame the shooting on his partner as “cowardly”, noting he had not expressed any contrition or remorse.

She further described him as being “without the humanity, morality or self-control that restrains others from acts of criminal violence”.

Stein on Monday afternoon sat still and emotionless as he was told he would spend the rest of his life in jail, occasionally scratching his ear during the one-and-a-half hour sentencing.

“This was a shockingly callous crime of very great heinousness; it was gravely reprehensible and extremely wicked,” Justice Wilson said.

“There are no facts which can mitigate its seriousness.”

Originally published as Justin Stein jailed for life for ‘execution’ murder of nine-year-old Charlise Mutten