A man accused of murdering a woman before her body was found at a tip in Melbourne’s north has faced court.
Stephen Fleming, 45, appeared in Melbourne magistrates court on Wednesday wearing a blue jumper, with most of his head shaved and some hair remaining at the back.
Prosecutor Connor Rattray said his office needed 20 weeks to allow for multiple crime scenes to be recreated and forensics details to be gathered.
Magistrate Louise Wildberger granted the prosecution the time to gather the evidence, with a brief in the case expected to be handed up on 27 November.
The magistrate remanded Fleming in custody and listed his committal mention for 8 January 2025.
His lawyer Jessica Clarebrough said her client had no custody management issues.
Fleming looked at the bar table and said “thank you” with a nod before he left the court with custodial officers.
The 45-year-old, who police have alleged was known to the victim, was arrested and questioned by detectives throughout Tuesday before he was charged with murder in the evening.
Workers found the woman’s body while moving green waste at the Repurpose It facility on Cooper Street in Epping on 3 July and immediately contacted police.
Investigators believed her body was originally inside a domestic bin picked up outside a property in a nearby suburb the previous day.
They identified the address as Hilgay Street in Coolaroo, which has rubbish collected each Tuesday.
The woman, who is still yet to be formally identified, is believed to be a 67-year-old from Coolaroo.
Police said there were still keen to speak to anyone who may have footage taken in the Coolaroo area from 23 June to 2 July or witnessed any suspicious activity around that time.
George Hatzimanolis, the chief executive of Repurpose It, said the company was co-operating with investigators and asked for privacy for affected staff.
“We are deeply saddened to confirm that a body was discovered in the FOGO [food organics, garden organics] delivery shed at our facility last Wednesday,” he said in a statement.
“Our staff members who made this tragic discovery are understandably shaken, and we are ensuring they receive the support and counselling they need. We ask for privacy and understanding for our employees as we navigate through this challenging situation.”
