A SUPREME Court of Victoria jury has heard a rare high level of methamphetamine was detected inside the burnt remains of a Wangaratta teen following his death.

Kylie Stott, 40, Dimitri D’Elio, 27, and Danny Clarke, 41 are facing trial for the abduction, murder and incineration of Charlie Gander, 19, whose charred remains were found in a Ford Territory on Loch Garry Road near Bunbartha, 15km north of Shepparton on Christmas Eve 2022.

All defendants pleaded not guilty to the three charges.

On Tuesday forensic pathologist Dr Paul Bedford took to the witness stand to deliver his findings of an autopsy of Mr Gander.

Photos of Mr Gander’s burnt remains on a gurney were shown to the jury, detailing the extensive damage done to the body by fire.

Dr Bedford said on the back of his findings, it was likely Mr Gander had already died before being exposed to the blaze due to the lack of soot detected in his airways, which would ordinarily be present if a person was breathing in an intense fire.

The court heard there was also 7.7mg/L of methamphetamine detected in the body, which Dr Bedford said may have contributed to his death.

“Rarely, rarely do we see results this high,” he said.

“We consider one (mg/L) is high, four (mg/L) is very high.”

Dr Bedford said due to the extent of the fire damage to the body and the lack of other non-fire related trauma present, he could not conclusively determine how he died.

Earlier in the trial crown prosecutor Mark Gibson KC said the trio of Stott, D’Elio and Clarke allegedly acted as a team to exact revenge on Mr Gander, who was believed to have “ratted on” Stott’s friend, Tyson May, who was in custody at the time.

Mr Gander, who was living in Benalla at the time, allegedly travelled to Shepparton on the night of 23 December, 2022, in a friend’s vehicle to meet with Stott in an alleged drug transaction and never made it home.

The three accused all resided in the Shepparton area and were arrested on 30 December 2022 after a search of one of the accused’s vehicles allegedly found Mr Gander’s blood on a knife wrapped in a tea towel, his bank card and phone cover and a roll of black duct tape.

Mr Gibson said it was an "unnecessary, senseless and callous" act which came from a “misplaced allegiance” to Mr May.

The court heard it was alleged Stott held a hatred of Mr Gander, and the prosecution believed D’Elio was driven by his “deep affection” for Stott, despite their 12-year age difference, and shared the same hatred for Mr Gander.

Mr Gibson said Clarke was enlisted as a “second male” to help assist the alleged plan.

On Monday two of the three defence counsel for the defendants disputed Mr Gibson’s claim of retribution being sought by their clients.

The trial was expected to continue for around four weeks of evidence, with the jury expected to be sent to the Shepparton area and Bunbartha on Wednesday.