The identity of the man accused of killing Samantha Murphy, who went missing from her home in Ballarat over a month ago, will not be revealed after a court imposed a gag order.
The 22-year-old Mount Clear resident was arrested in Scotsburn at around 6am on Wednesday.
The man, who is the son of an ex-AFL player, appeared in court on a murder charge on Thursday afternoon.
A brief administrative hearing was conducted before he was formally charged. As he entered the courtroom, a hush fell over the court room.
When Magistrate Mykytowycz asked the man if he could hear her, he responded affirmatively.
The court was informed that the prosecutors had sought an extra three months to prepare a brief of evidence against him due to the amount of material they had gathered.
No members of Ms Murphy’s family were present in court.
David Tamanika, who is representing the accused man, asked for a suppression order to be made on the details of his client, which included his name, address, and age.
The police are yet to recover Murphy’s body.