A Preston couple have admitted their involvement in the murder of a man who was dumped in a wheelie bin left on a residential nature strip in Melbourne's north.
An unsuspecting garbage truck driver made the grisly discovery when he emptied the recycling bin at the intersection of Young and Butler streets in May last year.
Police alleged the murder took place in a block of units the street behind where the body of Ashley Phillips, 44, was dumped.
In the Supreme Court last Friday, Jason Considine, 35, pleaded guilty to murdering Mr Phillips while Considine's girlfriend, Natasha Hogan, pleaded guilty to assisting him.
Considine's sister told a committal hearing earlier this year that she heard her brother had "snapped" after Hogan had "cuddled up" to Mr Phillips.
When she confronted Hogan about it, Considine's sister claimed Hogan said Mr Phillips was hit over the head with a pole before he was strangled.
Forensic pathologist Dr Paul Bedford told the hearing Mr Phillips had suffered blunt force head trauma and injuries consistent with strangulation before he was dumped head-first into the wheelie bin.
Mr Phillips, who had been working at an aquarium wholesaler, lived with his mother in Broadmeadows. He was her only son. His father died in 2009.
After his body was found, police publicly released a photo of the Korean pop band T-shirt he was wearing in an effort to identify him.
It's believed his mother recognised the shirt.
Considine and Hogan will return to court next year for a plea hearing before they will be sentenced.
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