Cold case trial hears landlord accused of murdering tenant over $2,000 rent dispute

A man accused of murdering his tenant over a rent dispute more than 20 years ago has faced trial in the Supreme Court. Steven Johnson has pleaded not guilty to one charge of murder, in relation to the disappearance of 38-year-old Christopher Jarvis near Warrnambool.

Mr Jarvis went missing from his Wangoom home on June 13, 2006. His burnt-out car was found at the regional city's popular coastal lookout, Thunder Point, later that day. His body has never been found.

During the trial opening, Crown prosecutor Mark Gibson KC told the jury Mr Jarvis left for work on the morning of his disappearance, and has not been heard from since. "He never made it to work, he never made it home from work, he was never sighted again by those closest to him," he told the jury.

The jury was told Mr Johnson was Mr Jarvis's landlord and that the pair were in dispute over $2,000 in rent arrears. Mr Gibson told the jury Mr Jarvis claimed he had completed plumbing work at the property and wanted that cost deducted from the rent he owed.

Prosecution lays out case

The court heard that the prosecution's case was that Mr Johnson wanted to scare Mr Jarvis into paying the rent owed and vacating the house, and recruited another man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, to assist.

Mr Gibson said the pair ambushed Mr Jarvis in the driveway, as he left for work in the early morning dark. Mr Gibson said the Crown would argue that Mr Johnson came up behind Mr Jarvis and threw him to the ground, before firing a starting pistol near his head, which caused him to bleed from the ear.

The court heard the Crown would argue Mr Johnson, with the help of the other man, then put Mr Jarvis in the back of his car and drove out to Framlingham Forest, near Warrnambool. Mr Gibson said the Crown would argue that at the forest, the men dug a shallow grave and Mr Johnson fatally hit Mr Jarvis on the head with a baseball bat before they placed the deceased man in the hole.

The prosecution will argue Mr Johnson then drove Mr Jarvis's silver 1991 Ford Falcon station wagon to Thunder Point, poured petrol inside, and set it alight.

Mr Jarvis's disappearance was filed as a missing person's case until police began a new investigation into his disappearance in 2021. The court heard in November that year, police interviewed and arrested Mr Johnson and seized an imitation gun from his property.

The jury was told Mr Johnson was charged with murder in 2022, but the charge was discontinued only to be reinstated in 2025.

Defence responds

The court heard it would be the defence's case that Mr Johnson had no involvement in Mr Jarvis's disappearance, and that the defence could not say what happened to him.

Mr Johnson's defence lawyer, Pat Doyle, told the jurors they must presume his client innocent and carefully consider the evidence presented during the trial. "It is critical you keep an open-mind until you hear all of the evidence," Mr Doyle told the jury.

He said there was no dispute of certain facts, including whether Mr Johnson was Mr Jarvis's landlord, or that Mr Jarvis's body had never been found. "Those are sad facts," he said. "We may never know exactly what happened to Chris Jarvis."