A TRIO charged with the murder of a Wangaratta teenager near Shepparton late last year will be fast-tracked to face a Supreme Court trial, after each pleaded not guilty to the offending this week.
Danny Clarke, 38 and Kylie Stott 37, both from Shepparton, and 24-year-old Dimitri D’Elio from Mooroopna are charged with murdering 19-year-old Charlie Gander on Christmas Eve.
Mr Gander’s body was found in a vehicle ablaze on Loch Garry Road near Bunbartha around 10am.
Committal proceedings were anticipated to stretch into next year, however, the trio have since agreed to have the matter expedited before a jury in the Supreme Court.
A final hand-up brief of evidence was formally tendered before Magistrate Marita Altman at Shepparton Magistrates Court on Thursday, before all three of the defendants entered pleas of ‘not guilty’.
A summary of the offending was not released to the media.
All three are accused of murdering Mr Gander and committing arson by destroying a 2008 Ford Territory worth $10,000.
Mr Clarke is also alleged to have set fire to a property in Community Street, Shepparton on the same day, causing an estimated $100,000 in damages.
The trio will face the Melbourne Supreme Court on December 1 for a directions hearing.