Bowe Maddigan pleads guilty to murder and sexual assault of 11-year-old Zoe Buttigieg

Bowe Maddigan has pleaded guilty to the murder and sexual assault of 11-year old girl Zoe Buttigieg at a house party in Wangaratta, Victoria in October 2015.

Maddigan, 30, of Mildura, faced Melbourne’s Supreme Court earlier today, where he entered guilty pleas to murder and committing an indecent act with a child under 16.

Maddigan had previously denied the charges at a hearing in Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court earlier this year, but later changed his plea during a hearing at the Supreme Court.

The Buttigieg family released a statement after the plea, saying they were “very happy that justice is finally being served for our beloved Zoe”.

The committal hearing was told Maddigan and the girl’s mother had been drinking and smoking cannabis for hours before Zoe was found dead.

Zoe’s body was found around 11am on October 25 in her Inchbold Street bedroom.

Police later found Maddigan roaming barefoot along the Hume Highway with blood splatters on one foot, initially believing he was mentally unstable.

Psychologists later disagreed.

The 30-year-old had been released from jail just three weeks before he killed Zoe.

He will return to court in November for a pre-sentence hearing.