The husband of a woman found dead in a ransacked home three decades ago will face trial accused of her murder.
Craig Freeman, 63, was charged in 2025 with his wife Melinda Freeman’s murder, 34 years ago.
On Wednesday, Freeman appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court where he pleaded not guilty to one count of murder.
The plea means Freeman’s case will be fast-tracked across to the Supreme Court of Victoria where he will face a jury trial.
Police allege Ms Freeman, aged just 27, was found dead in her Whittlesea home, in Melbourne’s outer north, on October 4, 1991, after she was assaulted.
Freeman claimed he found his wife’s body lying on the top landing of their two-storey home after returning to the property with their son and finding the front door open.
He was granted bail in December on a $500,000 surety, put up by his current wife, after the prosecution did not oppose his application.
Justice Michael Croucher found Freeman had demonstrated exceptional circumstances to permit his release on bail, including that the prosecution’s case was circumstantial and an issue at trial would be the alleged killer’s identity.
Melinda Freeman was a doting mum when she was allegedly bashed to death in her own home
Craig Freeman walks out of the Supreme Court of Victoria on December 18 after being granted bail
Freeman had engaged top Melbourne lawyer Paul Galbally to represent him.
Magistrate Stephen Ballek ordered Freeman face the Supreme Court for a directions hearing on March 26.
Freeman was placed on trial bail with conditions including he not leave Victoria, report to police twice a week, and not contact any prosecution witnesses.
At a previous hearing, the court heard the former male stripper had previously suffered a stroke and required medication while behind bars.
Ms Freeman’s husband had always been ‘a person of interest’ although police were unable to make a case against him until recently.
A 1997 coroner’s inquest revealed Freeman had been having an affair with a close friend of his wife at the time of her death.
Despite family suspicions, Coroner Jacinta Heffey delivered an open finding, stating there was insufficient evidence to support claims that he was responsible, dismissing them as ‘impressions, conjecture, and speculation’.
In February 2022, police announced a $1million reward in relation to the case, which could be up for grabs should police secure a conviction.
Craig Freeman, 63, was charged in 2025 with his wife Melinda Freeman’s murder, 34 years ago.
The home where Melinda Freeman was allegedly bashed to death by her husband
There had been signs of a struggle in the house and police believed the killer had tried to make it look like a robbery
On the day she died, Ms Freeman and her husband had been at a family reunion to welcome her sister back from overseas.
The couple arrived home from the function at about 4pm and Ms Freeman then prepared dinner for the family.
Later her husband and child left the house, so Ms Freeman could be left alone to study for her proposed career in the beauty industry.
About 11.30pm, her husband told police he returned home and unlocked the back door before noticing the premises appeared to have been ransacked.
It was at this time he also noticed that the front door of the house was open.
Freeman told police he then walked to the bottom of the stairs where he saw his wife’s body lying on the top-floor landing.
Despite a significant investigation over the past 30 years, detectives had been unable to establish Ms Freeman’s final movements on the night and the events which led to her death.
She had come from a close and loving family and was said to be a doting mother to her baby son.
![[Body Bags] Testimony from Beyond the Grave: The Suspicious Death of Maria Muñoz](https://citigist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Body-Bags-Testimony-from-Beyond-the-Grave-The-Suspicious-Death-380x200.jpeg)
