Kylie Stott, 40, Dimitri D’Elio, 27, and Danny Clarke, 41, face court over death over Wangaratta teen Charlie Gander

A Wangaratta teenager was kidnapped, killed and his body incinerated in a car fire because his alleged killers believed he had “ratted on” another man, a jury has been told.

Wangaratta man Charlie Gander, 19, was found dead in a burnt out vehicle near Shepparton on Christmas Eve 2022.

A Wangaratta teenager was kidnapped, killed and his body incinerated in a car fire because his alleged killers believed he was a “rat”, a jury has been told.

Kylie Stott, 40, Dimitri D’Elio, 27, and Danny Clarke, 41, faced the first day of their Supreme Court trial on Thursday, accused of killing Charlie Gander, 19, whose charred remains were found in a burnt-out Ford Territory near Bunbartha, northwest of Shepparton, on Christmas Eve 2022.

In his opening address, Crown prosecutor Mark Gibson KC said the trio acted as a team to exact revenge on Mr Gander, believing he had “ratted on” another man, Tyson May.

“This case is about three people acting together as a team, same objective, same aim, and each performing different roles to see that someone suffered because of what he was believed to have said and done,” he said.

“The Crown prosecution says that the three accused … were all responsible for Charlie Gander’s totally unnecessary, senseless and callous killing,” he said.

Danny Clarke is accused of murdering Mr Gander.

Emergency services were called to a vehicle fire on Loch Garry Rd, a rural area near Shepparton, about 10am on December 24, 2022.

Mr Gibson said Mr Gander’s charred body was found in an “unorthodox position” behind the driver’s seat of the burnt-out Ford Territory.

While the exact location and cause of death remain unknown, the prosecutor said Mr Gander was likely bashed and stabbed — noting a bloodied knife was found inside Mr D’Elio’s car — or injected with methamphetamine.

The jury was told CCTV from a farmhouse captured Mr Gander and his accused killers travelling along the road in two vehicles shortly before the fire.

About five weeks before his alleged murder, police conducted a firearm prohibition order compliance check at Mr May’s home in Shepparton.

Kylie Stott, 37, from Shepparton, has also been charged with the murder of Mr Gander. Picture: Supplied

The jury heard that as officers arrived, Mr Gander was seen running out the back and throwing a Coles shopping bag containing a homemade firearm over a neighbour’s fence.

Both men were arrested and interviewed separately.

Mr Gander allegedly told police he had been given the gun and instructed to dispose of it.

“Mr Gander told the police that the truth of the situation was that, and this was his eventual downfall. This was his fate,” Mr Gibson said.

Both men were charged, with Mr May remanded in custody and Mr Gander bailed.

Mr Gibson said Mr Gander’s perceived betrayal motivated Ms Stott to orchestrate the killing.

“She hated Charlie for what she described as him being a rat against one of her good friends,” he said.

Mr D’Elio allegedly helped carry out the murder because of his “deep affection” for Ms Stott, despite their 12-year age gap, while Mr Clarke was enlisted as a “second male” to assist in the killing.

Mr Gibson said the prosecution case was circumstantial, relying on witness testimony, CCTV footage, photographs and social media messages.

His opening address will continue on Friday morning, before defence lawyers for the accused deliver their responses.

The trial continues.