Justin Stein, the man accused of murdering his stepdaughter Charlise Mutten (pictured) shared a whirlwind romance with the nine-year-old's mother
Kallista Mutten shared a whirlwind romance with her fiancé before he allegedly murdered her nine-year-old daughter Charlise - as police wait to question the mother in hospital.
Justin Stein, 31, was charged with murdering the schoolgirl and denied bail yesterday after her body was found in a barrel in scrub near the Colo River in Sydney's north-west.
Police allege Ms Mutten, 31, left Charlise in his care last Tuesday, and court documents show detectives allege Stein killed her in the following 15 hours.
Detectives haven't had the opportunity to ask Ms Mutten key questions about the alleged events after she suffered a 'medical episode' and collapsed one day into the search for her daughter.
Social media posts show the pair shared a rapid romance, announcing they were in a relationship about a year after Ms Mutten, a former ice addict who has served jail time, walked free from prison.
In one loved-up December 2020 photo, Ms Mutten, 31, could be seen leaning in to kiss Stein as the pair lay in bed together.
Stein proposed to Charlise's mother, a former ice addict, in December 2020. Beneath this photo of Stein on Facebook, Ms Mutten wrote 'Mmmm yup' and 'absolutely gorgeous'
Ms Mutten had been released from jail in 2019 after serving a two-year jail term for dangerous driving causing death and driving under the influence of drugs.
In November 2020, Ms Mutten showed her affection for Stein by commenting on a selfie photo he posted on Facebook.
'Mmmm yup,' she wrote. 'Absolutely gorgeous.'
She also shared a photo of the church where she planned to marry Stein, writing 'cute church near his family's home' next to a photo of the chapel. It was in that same month the pair announced their engagement.
Detectives have been frustrated in their attempts to speak to the mother in recent days.
In one-loved up photo taken around the time of their engagement in December 2020, Ms Mutten, 31, could be seen leaning in to kiss Stein
'The mother is currently under health care and has been difficult to approach and contact,' NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson admitted during a media conference on Wednesday.
'She's under the care of medical supervision. At some stage, hopefully, when those doctors allow we will be talking further with her.'
Stein appeared in Central Local Court on Wednesday morning where he didn't apply for bail and it was formally refused.
His barrister told Magistrate Robert Williams his client needed his medication for mental health issues while in custody, adding he had been on 'high dosages' for many years.
He also expressed Stein had concerns for his safety.
'The other matter I'm instructed to raise relates to his concerns for personal safety in custody,' the barrister said.
'He has asked the court to recommend a no association classification.'
Magistrate Williams said Corrective Services only had the power to separate the accused from other prisoners.
Stein's lawyer also asked the court for a 12 week adjournment to seek a mental health assessment.
It comes after police alleged Stein drove around Sydney for hours with his fiancé's daughter's body in the back of a boat while he tried to figure out where to dump her, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Ms Mutten also shared a photo of the church where she planned to marry Stein, writing 'Cute church near his family's home' next to a photo of the chapel
Charlise's mother Kallista Mutten's fiancé Justin Stein (pictured) has been charged with murder
Charlise, who was under full-time custody of her grandparents in the Gold Coast,
