Charlise Mutten: Annemie and Justin Stein speak out about accused killer Justin Stein

The mother of the man charged with killing Charlise Mutten says her private school-educated son Justin Stein had a ‘tortured’ life.

Cranbrook-educated Justin Stein, who grew up among Sydney’s affluent elite, had a “tortured” life, his mum says, as her son remains behind bars on remand charged with murdering his stepdaughter.

Annemie Stein said she had not approved of her son’s whirlwind relationship with Charlise’s mother, ex-ice addict Kallista Mutten, since they got together just over a year ago.

Nine-year-old Charlise Mutten, at a school event.

Justin Stein is charged with murdering Charlise.

“You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them drink, or choose their partners, and sometimes it ends up in a headache like this one,” Ms Stein, 56, said from her home in the Sydney suburb of Summer Hill.

“Justin’s had a pretty tortured life.

“It would hurt anyone (to have a child go through this), it doesn’t matter who you are it would hurt you because parents know their children and, you know, as I said, the mother is the one they need to talk to.”

Ms Mutten remains under medical supervision in hospital.

James Stein Snr says he has not see his son ‘for some time’.

Kallista Mutten remains under medical supervision. Picture: 9 News

Ms Stein said that Charlise, who was set to be her step-granddaughter before she was allegedly murdered and her body stuffed in a barrel, was: “A lovely little girl and beautiful little girl and definitely didn’t deserve this.”

Meanwhile, among the country history and bric-a-brac of an antiques shop in rural NSW, Justin Stein’s father James Stein revealed he had not seen his son for some time.

James Stein Snr, who split with Annemie Stein more than a decade ago, now runs the shop at Mount Victoria in the Blue Mountains with his partner as it appears the family has been torn in two for a number of years.

His oldest son, James Jnr, and his partner Keegan Buzza, are also understood not to have seen Justin since about 2016.

A candlelit vigil for Charlise was held at Tweed Heads Public School. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Richard Gosling

Together the Steins still own the chic Wildenstein wedding venue where Charlise was staying with Stein and Kallista Mutten for a holiday. Although Justin Stein had been renting a designer warehouse conversion in Leichardt, police believe he was living with his fiancee at Wildenstein.

Both homes remain crime scenes.

Having had little to do with his son in recent times, James Stein Snr said he had never met young Charlise, but was nonetheless left “heartbroken” by her death.

“Absolutely heartbroken,” he said when asked how he had reacted.

“It‘s a tragedy. I’d never met her, so there you go.

“I‘m a father, you’ll understand too one day, but I hope you never have to go through circumstances like these.”

Ms Mutten officially lost custody of Charlise in 2018 while she was serving a minimum of two years two months for dangerous driving causing death while high on ice.