Justin Stein, once a privileged Sydney private schoolboy, was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the execution-style murder of nine-year-old Charlise Mutten in the Blue Mountains. The court found he sedated, shot, and hid her body in a barrel, showing no remorse as he tried to frame her mother for the crime.
Introduction
The name Justin Stein has become forever linked with one of Australia’s most heartbreaking murder cases. Once the son of a well-off Sydney family, Stein’s life collapsed under the weight of addiction, crime, and delusion — ending with the execution-style killing of nine-year-old Charlise Mutten, his fiancée’s daughter. His conviction and life-without-parole sentence in 2024 shocked a nation and exposed a story of manipulation, deceit, and broken trust.
Justin Stein’s Troubled Background
Raised in privilege, Justin Laurens Stein was privately educated in Sydney’s north before spiralling into drug addiction. Friends recalled his teenage years as “chaotic”, when heroin and methamphetamine were constant companions. His mother, Annemie Stein, later described him as “very troubled”, saying drugs and mental illness destroyed any chance of normality.
Diagnosed with schizophrenia, Stein was prescribed Quetiapine (Seroquel) — the same drug later found in Charlise’s body. He also struggled with heroin dependence, attending clinics and spending time in custody for theft and drug-related offences.
Meeting Kallista Mutten & Dangerous Relationship
Stein met Kallista Mutten in prison in 2018. Both were serving short sentences when their relationship began. After their release, they reunited and became engaged, moving between Sydney and the Mount Wilson property owned by Stein’s family in the Blue Mountains.
Their relationship was volatile and drug-fuelled. By late 2021, they were using meth daily. In November that year, they broke into a neighbouring property and stole two rifles — one of which became the murder weapon.
Charlise Mutten’s Holiday Visit
In December 2021, nine-year-old Charlise Mutten travelled from her grandparents’ home in Tweed Heads to Sydney for the school holidays. She split her time between the Mount Wilson estate and the Riviera Ski Gardens caravan park in Lower Portland, about 90 minutes away.
On 11 January 2022, she asked, “Can I go with Daddy?” — her affectionate name for Justin Stein. That night at 8:20 pm, Kallista received a text from Stein:
“I’m just cooking up some chicken and Charsey is watching TV and playing with balloons.”
Charlise never came home.
The Murder at Mount Wilson
Prosecutors later established that Stein killed Charlise between 7:16 pm on 11 January and 10:06 am on 12 January 2022. In a final text at 10:06 am, he wrote:
“Charsey’s wrecked and fallen back to sleep.”
By then, she was already dead.
Toxicology reports found an adult dose of Quetiapine, strong enough to make a child severely drowsy. She was shot twice with a stolen .22 calibre BSA rifle — once in the back and again in the head from about 30 centimetres away, what Justice Wilson later called an “execution shot.”
Cover-Up & the “Valuer Lady” Story
After the murder, Stein began constructing lies. He told Kallista that Charlise had vomited early that morning and that he had left her with a “valuer lady” named Lauren. When Kallista panicked, Stein told her not to call police, claiming his “criminal associates” may have taken Charlise.
Even Stein’s mother questioned his story, later telling police:
“You wouldn’t let a nine-year-old go off with a stranger — that’s what doesn’t add up.”
Police Interviews & Contradictory Stories
Stein was interviewed twice at Penrith Police Station on 14 January 2022.
- First interview: He repeated the valuer story, saying Charlise was sick and left behind.
- Second interview: After a cigarette break, he changed his account — accusing Kallista Mutten of planning to run away with Charlise’s biological father and blaming her for the disappearance.
He told detectives:
“I’m the one that’s going to get f****d in something I’m genuinely not involved in … I’m being laid out to dry.”
Officers noted that he appeared agitated and complained of missing his heroin-replacement injection.
Evidence Unravels
CCTV footage between 13 and 14 January 2022 captured Stein driving across Sydney in his Holden Colorado ute, towing a boat and carrying a barrel covered by a blue tarp. He bought five 20-kilogram bags of sand from Bunnings Warehouse — two labelled child-friendly play sand — and made stops at several wharves including Rose Bay and Five Dock before heading to Lower Colo Road.
Phone GPS data later showed he arrived near the Colo River at about 4:22 am on 14 January, where he dumped the barrel down an embankment. Inside was Charlise’s body — wrapped in plastic and sand, forming what police called a “makeshift coffin.”
The Grim Discovery & Arrest
After four days of searching, police traced Stein’s phone pings and found tyre marks and a bright orange barrel lodged between trees near the Colo River on 18 January 2022.
Inside lay Charlise — still dressed in the same outfit she was last seen wearing, though without underpants, a detail that remains unexplained.
Ballistic tests matched bullets to the stolen rifle, and Stein’s fingerprints were found on the rifle’s scope. That same day, he was formally arrested and charged with murder.
Recorded Prison Calls & Hidden Guns
While in Silverwater Correctional Complex, Stein made 18 recorded phone calls to his mother, whom he called “Narelle”. He asked her to “retrieve some stuff” buried in the bush — a clue that led police to discover two hidden rifles and ammunition off a Blue Mountains fire trail.
One rifle bore his fingerprints and was confirmed as the murder weapon.
Trial & Defence Strategy
Stein’s trial began in May 2024 before Justice Helen Wilson.
- Crown case: Prosecutor Ken McKay SC argued that Stein sedated and murdered Charlise, then spent days covering his tracks.
“He went to great lengths to avoid being held responsible for his actions,” McKay said. - Defence claim: Barrister Carolyn Davenport SC maintained Stein’s innocence, alleging that Kallista Mutten shot her daughter “near the chicken shed” and that Stein only helped dispose of the body out of fear and confusion.
Kallista Mutten’s Heart-Wrenching Testimony
Kallista took the stand in tears, denying any role in the killing:
“Are you serious? I didn’t even know where she was shot — so now I know.”
She told the court she trusted Stein completely and had no reason to believe her daughter was in danger. Charlise’s grandparents later testified that she had once asked them, “Would Justin be a good dad to me?” — a question that now haunts them.
Jury Verdict & Conviction
After a four-week trial and five and a half days of active deliberation, the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict on 19 June 2024.
Justice Wilson thanked jurors who had admitted during selection that hearing a child-murder case would be “deeply confronting.” Stein was formally convicted in the NSW Supreme Court that afternoon.
Sentencing-Life Without Parole
On 26 August 2024, Justice Wilson sentenced Stein to life imprisonment without parole — the maximum penalty.
“This was a shockingly callous crime,” she said. “Having murdered a nine-year-old girl, all the offender’s energy was spent covering his tracks. Some murders are so grave that the maximum penalty is the only appropriate penalty.”
She condemned Stein’s courtroom performance, noting he “pretended to cry” but was “completely dry-eyed — theatre if it weren’t so calculated.”
The judge said Stein showed “no shred of remorse” and remained a “danger to the community,” adding:
“The community must be protected from him.”
Victim Impact & Public Reaction
Charlise’s mother, Kallista, wept through her statement:
“I trusted someone with my daughter and because of that, I put her in harm’s way … More than anything, I miss being Charlise’s mum.”
Justice Wilson echoed her grief:
“Even the sound of the bell ringing at her school each morning brings sorrow.”
Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty commended his team:
“Very dedicated, determined investigators were horrified by this case — they were determined to get a result, and they did.”
Post-Conviction Charges
Months after his January 2022 arrest, Stein was also charged with two counts of possessing child abuse material. These charges are unrelated to Charlise’s case.
Stein will face a 10-day trial beginning 17 March 2025 at Penrith District Court, presided over by Judge Craig Everson. He will not appear in person; his barrister Carolyn Davenport SC will represent him. The case will return for mention in February.
Legacy & Reflection
The Justin Stein case has become a defining example of betrayal and the misuse of trust. It has prompted discussion about mental health monitoring, drug rehabilitation, and child-protection gaps in New South Wales.
For Charlise’s grandparents in Tweed Heads, the loss is eternal. She loved school, swimming, karate, and her dogs — remembered as “polite, cheeky, and full of life.” Her death, Justice Wilson said, was an “unimaginable tragedy born of cowardice.”
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