Karen Chetcuti's neighbour appears in court charged with murder
A man who lived next door to Karen Chetcuti appeared in a Victorian court on Tuesday charged with her murder and with breaching parole.
The 48-year-old neighbour faced an emotionally charged court hearing, watched by distressed and weeping friends of the mother-of-two.
A body, believed to be that of Ms Chetcuti, was found near Myrtleford on Monday, after the 49-year-old went missing a week ago.
Whorouly man Michael Cardamone was arrested in Melbourne's eastern suburbs on Sunday after allegedly claiming he had been kidnapped.
He briefly appeared in the Wangaratta Magistrates Court on Tuesday, dressed in a white t-shirt and grey tracksuit pants.
He was not required to speak during the short hearing.
Prosecutor Marino Eliades told the court police allege Cardamone killed Ms Chetcuti on or around January 12 after she went to his home for some tomatoes.
Her family and friends wept as defence lawyer Geoff Clancy highlighted custody issues for his client including high blood pressure and back pain.
One of Ms Chetcuti's friends sobbed throughout the 15-minute hearing. She looked at Mr Cardamone across the courtroom a number of times and said "I hope he rots in hell".
Ms Chetcuti was reported missing after failing to turn up to work at Wangaratta Council last Wednesday.
Her burnt-out car was found in bush near Myrtleford on Thursday, sparking a search of nearby bushland.
Her former partner, Greg Haysom, told 7 News he still could not believe "she's not coming back".
He said Karen, whom he spoke to on Tuesday before she disappeared, was "an easy to get a long with caring person".
"Everyone sort of says when something has happened how wonderful a person is – but she really was," Mr Haysom said.
Friends of the community-minded woman took to social media to remember her.
"This should never have happened to you, a brilliant lady has paid with her life for such a senseless act," one wrote.
Another described how people were mesmerised by her "wonderful sense of humour" and "infectious laugh".
Staff at the local council where Ms Chetcuti worked for 20 years were struggling to accept the news of her death.
"We were always hopeful that Karen would be found alive but this news has confirmed the worst," Rural City of Wangaratta chief executive officer Brendan McGrath said in a statement on Tuesday.
Her two children, aged 14 and 15, are believed to be with their father.
Cardamone's address was suppressed, amid fears of vigilante attacks on the house where his mother still lives.
He was remanded to appear in the same court for a committal hearing on September 8.
