Hannah McGuire’s heartbroken family were left in tears as the man accused of killing her denied murdering the beloved 23-year-old teacher’s assistant.
Ms McGuire’s ex-boyfriend, Lachlan Young, appeared in Ballarat Magistrates Court via video link on Thursday, where he formally pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.
The courtroom was packed with Ms. McGuire’s friends and family, many of whom wore T-shirts bearing her smiling face.
An audible gasp was heard as Young entered his statement from a video room inside Melbourne Assessment Prison.
Wearing a pink T-shirt and sporting a mullet-style haircut, Young showed no emotion as he sat through the hearing.
The court heard that Young had declined his right to a preliminary hearing and instead decided to have his matter referred quickly to the Supreme Court of Victoria.
Hannah McGuire poses outside her King Drive home with her alleged killer Lachlan Young just over a year before her death.
Ms McGuire’s devastated parents, Glenn and Debbie, outside Ballarat Magistrates Court on Thursday
Ms McGuire’s friends and family wore T-shirts bearing her image to court on Thursday.
Outside court, Nicole Van Berkel, a family friend of Ms. McGuire, struggled to hide her emotions.
“It’s a tragic loss, it makes no sense,” he said.
Ms. Van Berkel was among about 100 people who came to the courtroom to support Ms. McGuire’s family.
“It’s just devastating,” he said of Young’s request.
“We thought, do us all a favor, but…”
Ms McGuire’s devastated parents, Glenn and Debbie, stormed out to meet the media after the hearing.
They had been in the front row of the courtroom in a position that would have allowed Young to see them clearly on his video screen from prison.
A police officer was seen hugging Ms McGuire’s mother as she entered the court.
No reason was offered as to why Young decided to take the matter directly to the Supreme Court.
Alleged mushroom killer Erin Patterson made a similar decision last month.
Like Patterson’s case, Young’s case will be fast-tracked through the Supreme Court in an effort to get the trial underway as quickly as possible.
However, the trial is unlikely to take place any time soon and is not expected to take place until late next year at the earliest.
Ms McGuire’s mother hugged a police officer outside court ahead of Thursday’s hearing
Friends and family of Hannah McGuire lined up outside the courthouse on Thursday
Hannah McGuire was allegedly murdered by her ex-partner
Lachlan Young appeared in court looking similar to this photo
Young told the judge he understood what his decision meant.
No reason has been given as to why or how police allege Young killed his partner, from whom he had recently separated.
While the charges against Young have been received by the media, those motives will remain unknown until he is tried.
Pictured grinning from ear to ear, Ms McGuire had posed next to a large “sold” sign alongside her then partner outside their home in Sebastopol, near Ballarat in regional Victoria, just over a year before her alleged murder.
The happy snap was taken almost a year before Young appeared in court on Tuesday to face charges over Ms McGuire’s murder.
Another image obtained by Daily Mail Australia showed a beaming Young snuggling up very close to his immaculately dressed partner.
The King Drive property was sold to the then couple on March 17 last year, and the couple moved in shortly after.
Ms McGuire’s body was found near State Forest Road, near Scarsdale, southwest of Ballarat in Victoria, shortly before 1am on Friday.
Her death had initially been ruled a suicide after her body was found in a burned-out car.
But a coroner’s report said he had allegedly suffered life-threatening injuries before the vehicle was engulfed in flames.
Nicole Van Berkel said she was devastated by Young’s not guilty plea.
Lachlan Young was arrested inside the couple’s dream home on Sunday.
Hannah McGuire was a much-loved teaching assistant.
A friend of Ms McGuire, who asked to remain anonymous, told Daily Mail Australia that her friend had worked as a teacher alongside Young’s sister.
“Hannah was the most loving person you could ever meet, no matter what social class you came from, she welcomed you with open arms,” he said.
Ms. McGuire was in the process of finishing her bachelor’s degree while working as a teacher until her heartbreaking death.
A year earlier, the then-happy couple paid $470,000 for their first dream home, which on Tuesday was sealed off with police tape as a crime scene.
Young’s family home, where his parents still reside, is just a stone’s throw from the property.
The couple’s home had three bedrooms, one bathroom and a large double garage in the backyard.
The couple had been popular with many of their neighbors, who shared fond memories of drinking with them at the house.
Young is due to appear in the Victorian Supreme Court next month.
