A former contestant on Australian reality television program Beauty and the Geek has appeared before South Australia's Supreme Court after being accused of murdering her partner and interfering with his remains.

Tamika Chesser appeared by video link on 2 November 2026 and pleaded not guilty to murdering Julian Story and destroying his remains to pervert the course of justice.

During the hearing, the court was told that a private psychiatric assessment had found Chesser was provisionally mentally incompetent to commit the alleged offences. The report was prepared in November 2025 and was recently provided to prosecutors by the defence.

Prosecutor Eilis Noone told the court that the assessment had raised concerns about Chesser's mental state. Both the prosecution and defence requested that another psychiatric report be prepared to provide further information about her mental competence and fitness to stand trial.

Justice Adam Kimber approved the joint application and ordered the additional assessment. The court heard that the report could take approximately three to five months to complete, although the parties hoped it might be available sooner.

The case relates to the death of 39-year-old Julian Story, whose remains were discovered in 2025 at locations around Port Lincoln on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula.

Emergency services initially attended the couple's unit in June 2025 following reports of a fire. Police subsequently discovered human remains inside the property. About a month later, a member of the public found Story's head in scrubland east of Port Lincoln.

Chesser was arrested in June 2025 and has remained in custody while the legal proceedings continue. She has denied the charges by pleading not guilty.

The latest hearing did not determine whether Chesser committed the alleged offences. Instead, it focused on the psychiatric evidence and the legal questions surrounding her mental competence and ability to participate in the court process.

These are separate legal considerations. A person's mental competence at the time of an alleged offence and their fitness to stand trial can require different assessments. The additional report is intended to help the court consider the relevant questions before deciding how the case should proceed.

Justice Kimber scheduled the matter to return to court in February 2027, after the further assessment is expected to be completed.

The proceedings remain ongoing, and no finding of guilt has been made. The court will consider the additional psychiatric evidence before determining the next steps in the case.

The matter has attracted public attention because of Chesser's previous television appearance and the serious nature of the allegations.