The tradie neighbour charged with the savage murder of a Melbourne mother-of-two hopes has told a court he was mentally impaired at the time.
Milorad Zaric, 47, is accused of killing Vicky Van Aken, 51, in front of three teenagers including the alleged killer’s own son, who suffered a hand injury, in November last year.
Her body was found outside her Baywater home, in Melbourne’s east.
Zaric appeared in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday where the court heard his legal team plans to run a mental impairment defence.
The court heard Zaric would be assessed by forensic psychiatrist Dr Prashant Pandurangi.
His lawyer Giselle Nehma told the court she was concerned about her client’s fitness to face trial.
The court heard Zaric will remain behind bars until that assessment takes place, with a return date scheduled for June 2.
A Melbourne mother-of-two who was allegedly murdered by her tradie neighbour has been identified as Vicky Van Aken (pictured)
Dressed in prison greens, Zaric remained silent as he tuned into the hearing via a videolink from jail.
When he appeared in court in November, the court heard he carpenter had been withdrawing from drugs and alcohol at the time of the alleged attack.
Magistrate Ross Betts rejected a request to extend the time for the delivery of a brief after Victoria Police said they needed extra weeks to go through the large amounts of evidence including forensic material, CCTV and drug analysis.
Emergency services had been called to a property in Bayswater at 11.15am after reports that a woman had been stabbed.
They arrived to find Ms Van Aken, 51, dead outside the home.
‘It’s not a family violence incident,’ Detective Senior Sergeant Chris Ellway said at the time.
‘It is a tragic set of circumstances. Another woman [allegedly] lost at the hands of a man is just horrible.’
Shocked neighbours said Ms Van Aken and her family were new to the area, but they had been seen trick or treating for Halloween.
Milorad Zaric, 47, has been charged with murdering his neighbour in November in Bayswater, 45km east of Melbourne’s CBD. Pictured are police at the scene
Vicky Van Aken (pictured) worked at Australia Post according to her LinkedIn profile
Ms Van Aken, who worked at Australia Post according to her LinkedIn profile, often posted about her children on social media.
Zaric was initially taken to hospital with a ‘medical complaint’.
‘We’re not looking for anyone else. It is an isolated incident,’ Detective Ellway said.
Neighbour Glenn Rowe said he was ‘a bit shaken up’ by the incident.
‘I’ve been here for 25 years and I’ve never seen anything like this,’ he said.
‘It’s a bit surreal. It’s terrible, I feel sorry for the kids and the mother.’
