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Two Thai men to stand trial for Vic murder

Thai men Sarud Seehaverachart and Thatiya Terdputham have been committed to stand trial for the murder of Melbourne man Luke Mitchell at Brunswick in 2009.

A wreath at the funeral of Luke Mitchell.
Two Thai men will stand trial for the murder of Luke Mitchell in Melbourne five years ago. (AAP)

Two Thai men will stand trial for the murder of Luke Mitchell at a popular Melbourne nightspot five years ago.

Mr Mitchell, 29, was fatally stabbed in a convenience store car park after a night out in Brunswick in May 2009.

Thai national Sarud Seehaverachart, 31, and dual Thai-Australian citizen Thatiya Terdputham, 39, have pleaded not guilty to his murder.

A third man, 31, was arrested in July and remains in custody in Thailand.

Police allege that Terdputham, Seehaverachart and the third man got into a fight with Mr Mitchell outside a nightclub about 10 minutes before he was stabbed with a knife in the car park.

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The Melbourne Magistrates Court was on Thursday told a knife containing DNA belonging to a mix of three people was found at a home linked to the accused men.

Forensic scientist Maxwell Jones said the DNA likely belonged to Mr Mitchell, Terdputham and Seehaverachart.

The court previously heard that both Seehaverachart and Terdputham flew to Thailand just days after Mr Mitchell's death.

Terdputham was extradited to Melbourne in September 2013, while Seehaverachart was extradited in January this year.

A former jail mate of both men, Gregory Dunn, previously told the court Terdputham had confessed to the crime during a conversation at the Bangkok Remand Centre.

The hearing was also told the two men wrote letters to Mr Mitchell's family.

Magistrate Michelle Ehrlich committed Seehaverachart and Terdputham to stand trial and remanded them in custody for a directions hearing in the Victorian Supreme Court on October 3.


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