A man accused of murdering a 62-year-old woman has been remanded in custody after facing court for the first time.
Michael James Chalmers, 35, is alleged to have killed the woman in Footscray in the early hours of November 27.
Police found her body after attending a property in Footscray to conduct a welfare check just after 8pm on November 29.
Chalmers was arrested at his Footscray home on Wednesday and charged with murder.
He fronted Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday morning for a brief hearing, where prosecutors requested a longer than usual time frame to compile the brief of evidence against him, noting the pathology report would take at least 12 weeks to prepare.
Magistrate James FitzGerald granted the application, giving detectives until March 13 to provide the brief to the defence.
No details of the victim were aired in court and Mr FitzGerald ordered her name be redacted from charge sheets released to the media, following a request from prosecutors.
Chalmers’ lawyer Lucy Massouras told the court her client had no custody management issues as he was remanded behind bars.
He is due to return to court in April for a committal mention hearing.
– AAP
