Tamika Chesser pleads not guilty to murder and beheading

Tamika Chesser, a former contestant on the reality program ‘Beauty and the Geek’, has pleaded not guilty to murder and destroying human remains to pervert the course of justice. The charges stem from the June 2025 death of her partner, Julian Story, in Port Lincoln, South Australia.

Prosecutors allege that Chesser murdered Story, decapitated him, and burned his remains. The victim's head was discovered by a dogwalker in July 2025 after police had previously struggled to locate it. The investigation follows a fire at the couple's property on the Flinders Highway.

Chesser appeared via video link from James Nash House, a mental health facility where she is currently held under a detention order. Her legal team has requested a Part 8A investigation to determine her mental fitness to stand trial. Chesser, who was pregnant at the time of her arrest, gave birth while in custody earlier this year. Magistrate John Clover has committed the case to the South Australian Supreme Court, with a further hearing scheduled for November.