Husband faces court accused of 1991 murder of Victorian mum Melinda Freeman

A man accused of murdering his wife more than three decades ago has faced court for the first time.

Craig Freeman, 63, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court via video link on Wednesday after he was charged over Melinda Freeman's death.

Mrs Freeman was 26 when she was found dead in her Whittlesea home, in Melbourne's outer north, on October 4, 1991.

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Prosecutors did not outline the allegations against Freeman during his brief court appearance.

The 63-year-old only spoke to confirm he could hear the magistrate from the police cells.

His lawyer Paul Galbally told the court it was his client's first time in custody and he would need to see a nurse because he previously suffered a stroke.

Freeman did not apply for bail and was remanded in custody ahead of his next court hearing in March.

Police previously said Mrs Freeman and her husband spent the day of her alleged murder with immediate family to celebrate her sister's return from overseas.

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The couple returned to their home on Yea Road about 4pm.

Later, Freeman left the house and took their nine-month-old son to a card game to give his wife time to study for her beauty course.

When they returned at 11.30pm, the house looked like it had been ransacked and the front door was open.

Freeman claimed he found his wife's body lying on the landing on the top storey of the house.

In 2018, police received an anonymous tip-off about Mrs Freeman's death.

A $1 million reward was offered by police in 2022 for information leading to the arrest and subsequent conviction of anyone responsible for her death.

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