Man charged for second time with murdering Warrnambool father Christopher Jarvis

A man once charged with murdering his tenant over a rent dispute, only to have the charges dropped, has been rearrested and charged again.

Christopher Jarvis with three of his children. Picture: Supplied

A man has been charged with murder for a second time over the cold case disappearance of Warrnambool father Christopher Jarvis.

The remains of Mr Jarvis, 38, have never been found after he vanished from his Wangoom home near Warrnambool, in the state’s southwest, in June 2006.

Mr Jarvis’ former landlord Steven Johnson, 72, who was allegedly embroiled in a rental dispute with his tenant at the time of his disappearance, was on Monday rearrested and charged with murder.

It marks the second time Mr Johnson has been accused of killing Mr Jarvis after prosecutors dropped the first murder charge in August 2023.

Mr Johnson briefly appeared from the dock of Warrnambool Magistrates’ Court on Monday afternoon.

His lawyer revealed he had a number of medical issues requiring treatment, including diabetes, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, back injuries needing neurosurgical intervention and partial deafness.

The burnt out car of missing person, Christopher Jarvis at Thunder Point, a popular coastal lookout in Warrnambool.

No details about the case were aired during the administrative hearing and Mr Johnson was remanded in custody to reappear in court on June 13.

Police allege Mr Jarvis was assaulted by Mr Johnson outside his home as he left for work on the morning of June 13, 2006.

Mr Johnson allegedly assaulted him and shot him with a starter’s pistol before he was bundled into the boot of his own 1991 Ford station wagon and driven to nearby Framlingham Forest where a shallow grave was dug.

Still alive, Mr Jarvis was stripped naked before Mr Johnson allegedly delivered a fatal blow to his head with a baseball bat and rolled his body into the grave.

He then allegedly drove into sand dunes near Thunder Point, a popular coastal lookout in Warrnambool, and torched Mr Jarvis’ vehicle.

A coastal search was launched after the discovery of the burnt-out car, sparking concerns among family that Mr Jarvis took his own life.

At the time of his death, Mr Jarvis and his landlord were locked in a bitter rental dispute.

Mr Johnson allegedly claimed Mr Jarvis owed him rent, while Mr Jarvis claimed he was owed money for repairs he had done to the Wangoom home he shared with his family.

The pair were due to face a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal the day after Mr Jarvis’ disappearance, with his partner reporting him missing after he failed to show up to the hearing.

The case remained cold until 2018 when it was reopened by the Missing Persons Squad after new information came to light.

Despite extensive searches, Mr Jarvis’ remains have not been found.