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Queenslanders Jared Baker, Hubba Paul and Sarah Tilley charged with the murder of missing Colombian man Sergio Cuesta in Melbourne

Two Queensland men charged with the murder of missing Colombian student Sergio Cuesta are accused of flying into Melbourne the day they allegedly killed him.

Colombian national Sergio Cuesta has been missing since September last year.
Colombian national Sergio Cuesta has been missing since September last year.

Two Queenslanders charged with the murder of missing Colombian man Sergio Cuesta touched down in Melbourne hours before they allegedly killed him and then jetted home the next day, police claim.

Queensland men Jared Baker, 25, from Logan Reserve, and Hubba Paul, 25, from Flagstone, are accused of murdering Mr Cuesta, 28, in September last year at a Chelsea Heights address.

Sarah Tilley, 22, from Flagstone, and Victorian man Michael Frankland, 49, from Mount Eliza, have also been charged with Mr Cuesta’s murder.

The Colombian student was last seen alive at Jabiru Drive in Chelsea Heights after he was dropped off by a mate on September 16 last year about 8.15pm.

His body has never been found.

Mr Baker and Ms Tilley fronted the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday for a brief administrative hearing after the pair were arrested on Saturday in Brisbane and then extradited to Victoria.

The remand summary, which was released by Magistrate Lance Martin, reveals that Ms Tilley is accused of co-ordinating Mr Cuesta’s attendance at the Chelsea Heights property and was the “last person to speak to him”.

The summary also alleges that Mr Baker and Mr Paul “flew from Brisbane to Melbourne on September 16 and returned the following day, after the murder”.

However, the summary did not reveal how the quartet allegedly murdered Mr Cuesta after he arrived at the property.

Mr Cuesta had spent time in Queensland prior to his disappearance.

Colombian national Sergio Cuesta is believed to have been murdered.
Colombian national Sergio Cuesta is believed to have been murdered.

Both Mr Baker and Ms Tilley, who faced separate hearings on Wednesday, were both supported by their loved ones, who sat in the body of the court.

A woman could be seen giving a thumbs up to Ms Tilley as she sat in the dock.

The court heard investigators will spend the coming weeks reviewing CCTV footage, analysing DNA evidence and transcribing telephone intercepts.

Mr Paul was arrested on Saturday at Melbourne Airport after travelling from Queensland to Melbourne and faced court later that day.

Mr Frankland was the first to be charged with Mr Cuesta’s murder and faced court last Wednesday.

A 48-year-old Cranbourne man was arrested but later released pending further inquiries.

According to police, Mr Cuesta had been dining with a mate at a city restaurant on September 16 celebrating another friend’s birthday when he took a phone call and, without explanation, ordered his mate to drive him to Chelsea Heights.

This was the last time he would be seen by friends.

A worried female associate reported him missing five days later as her attempts to contact Mr Cuesta were unsuccessful.

The Colombian man’s family also grew concerned as they had not heard from him for days.

He would speak with his mother back home almost daily.

Mr Cuesta was on bail for drug offences at the time he disappeared and was known to have contact with people in the drug trafficking world.

The Herald Sun last week revealed Mr Cuesta had been living in an opulent city apartment tower prior to his disappearance.

The apartments command prices of around $750,000 and rents of more than $500 per week.

It is unclear how Mr Cuesta, who was on an expired student visa, afforded such living arrangements.

The quartet will return to court for a committal case conference on April 24.

Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-victoria/more-arrests-over-colombian-students-suspected-murder/news-story/fbd7563a235296b80c1f96b01ac18c71