Tia Minhinnick,20,was arrested in Melbourne’s CBD on Monday and charged with one count of murder,four days after the body of Angela Huata was found at her Springvale home.
A 20-year-old man has been arrested after a woman was found dead in a property in Melbourne’s south-east last week.
Emergency services were called to the property on Glendale Road about 12.10pm on February 10.
Court documents show police allege the man murdered 41-year-old Ms Huata at Springvale sometime between February 9 and 10.
On Tuesday,Crown prosecutor Honorah Edwards told the Melbourne Magistrates Court they required four weeks extra time to prepare their brief of evidence,with biological evidence still needing to be processed.
Ms Edwards said investigators also still needed to gather witness statements from people overseas and finalise interstate warrants for mobile devices.
The court also heard there were custody management issues to note,including that the accused man was at risk of self-harm,had psychiatric issues and was vulnerable behind bars due to his age and appearance.
Mr Minhinnick’s lawyer Julie McGrath said he needed to be seen by a custody nurse as soon as possible.
When asked if he understood what was being said,Mr Minhinnick,who appeared via audio link from the Melbourne Custody Centre,replied “yep”.
Ms Huata’s friends and family,including her parents,gathered in New Zealand on Sunday in song and prayer to pay their respects.
The mother of five’s body is expected to be flown back to New Zealand and laid to rest in Raupunga at a later date.
Magistrate Cecily Hollingworth ordered the matter return to court on June 7.
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