Beauty and the Crook: Inside the torrid love affair that ended in tragedy, as police suspend search for the missing head of man allegedly murdered and dismembered by TV glamour model

Daily Mail​

a day ago

A man allegedly murdered and beheaded by his Beauty and the Geek star girlfriend had regular run-ins with the law in his hometown but was 'very much loved' by his family and friends.
As police continue trying to locate Julian Story's missing head, a clearer picture is emerging of the months leading up to his grisly death at Port Lincoln on South Australia 's Eyre Peninsula.
Mr Story's partner, Tamika Chesser, is accused of killing and decapitating her guitar-playing boyfriend the day after his 39th birthday two weeks ago.
Police said last Friday that Mr Story was 'dismembered' but have not provided further details of what was allegedly done to his body, other than that his head was still missing.
Chesser, who finished second in series two of Beauty and the Geek in 2010, is now being held in James Nash House, a forensic mental health care facility, after being discharged from Port Lincoln Hospital.
The 34-year-old allegedly carried Mr Story's head in a bag from the dingy unit they shared on the Flinders Highway and dumped it in an unknown location.
Police, assisted by SES volunteers, have scoured cliffs and bush around the town along with the waters off the Eyre Peninsula, as Mr Story's family faces a horrific wait to bury their loved one.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal that at the time of Mr Story's death he was halfway through serving a six-month good behaviour bond for committing a string of thefts.
In March, he was convicted at Port Lincoln Magistrates Court of four counts of dishonestly taking property without consent, as well as one count each of disorderly behaviour and damaging a building or motor vehicle.
Mr Story was also ordered to pay $42.80 compensation in September last year for another theft and was convicted 12 months earlier of driving with cannabis in his system.
The owner of a service station where CCTV footage captured Chesser on the day she allegedly murdered Mr Story said the dead man was a 'regular shoplifter'.
Harry Singh told 7News on Monday that Chesser and Mr Story were well-known in the fishing port and both appeared to be troubled.
'He was a regular shoplifter - tens of times, more than ten times,' Mr Singh said.
'She used to be a regular customer, once or twice a week she used to come to us. No one deserves that end.'
Mr Story's family issued a statement on Friday thanking police and other emergency services 'for their compassion and professionalism during this devastating time'.
'We are navigating an unimaginable loss, and your care has brought comfort amid the chaos,' the statement read.
'We are also deeply grateful to our family and friends and this extraordinary community whose kindness and support have helped carry us through.
'Your prayers, presence, and quiet strength mean more than words can say. This will be our only statement.'
Port Lincoln's mayor, Diana Mislov, has also spoken of the family's loss.
'I know he loved his family deeply,' Ms Mislov said on Saturday.
'I just want the community and for everyone to understand that he was a human being who didn't deserve this and was much loved, very much loved.'
Mr Story, whose family still lives in Port Lincoln, had been renting his flat for three years on his own until Chesser recently moved in with him.
His 'Bongo Bus' campervan was still parked in the driveway outside the home when emergency services arrived after reports of a small fire at the address and found the harrowing scene of his dismembered remains inside.
It is unclear how Mr Story met the former cocktail waitress, whose full name is Tamika Sueann Rose Chesser, but it is believed she moved to South Australia from Queensland.
On Tuesday, police revealed they had suspended the active search for Mr Story's head, which had covered reserves, parks, bushland and ocean around the Port Lincoln pier and bay area.
'Intensive searching using these resources has been paused for now but may resume at a later stage,' a police spokesman said.
'Investigators are now in the process of reviewing a significant amount of CCTV footage to determine any other areas for searching and may return to Port Lincoln.'
Chesser, who had appeared in men's magazines including FHM and Ralph, was seen by Port Lincoln locals with her head shaved and acting oddly in the weeks before Mr Story's alleged murder.
Two residents told Daily Mail Australia that Chesser arrived in town only a few months ago, and they only remembered her as having a shaven head.
Chesser visited Kmart and other shops in central Port Lincoln, usually accompanied by a small dog.
One shop worker said Chesser 'acted normal, but she was, like, bald'. However, footage has emerged of the reality TV star - caught on CCTV or filmed by locals - acting strangely.
In one video, obtained by 7News, she was shown at a Port Lincoln hotel wearing a long dark wig and a hat, which Chesser then ripped off as she yelled.
In another video, she was also sporting a shaved head while doing gymnastics on bars outside a coffee shop, and in a third was standing bare-chested at the Port Lincoln War Memorial.
Police allege Mr Story was murdered in the early hours of June 17 but it was not until June 19 that neighbours were alerted to a fire coming from inside the couple's home.
Jordan Ware said when he expressed concern at smoke billowing out of the unit next door to him, Chesser 'reckoned everything was okay'.
Mr Ware went inside anyway and threw water on what he thought was a pile of smouldering rags, but was allegedly Mr Story's headless remains.
He told The Advertiser newspaper of hearing the couple having 'a bit of an argument' in the days before Mr Story's body was discovered.
'I could hear him saying "Babe please don't" so I went to check on the door and she slammed the door straight on me,' Mr Ware said.
When emergency services responded, they found Mr Story dismembered and missing his head on the bathroom floor of the apartment, according to investigators.
Police later released CCTV images and video which showed Chesser after Mr Story's alleged murder, walking three dogs and carrying a bag while wearing a hijab-style head covering.
Detective Superintendent Darren Fielke told a press conference it was 'crucial' Mr Story's head was returned to his family so they could hold a funeral.
'We know that after his alleged murder, Julian's body was dismembered and while I won't provide any further details about that at this time, I can tragically say that we have not recovered the head of Julian Story,' Detective Superintendent Fielke said.
'I can only imagine… the grief this news is causing Julian's family.
'It is crucial that we locate Julian's head so that his family has the opportunity to lay him to rest.'
In an effort to find Mr Story's head, officers are appealing to the public for help in tracking Chesser's movements in the week of the alleged murder.
They are particularly interested in her whereabouts between midnight on Tuesday June 17 and around the time the fire was reported at 3.30pm on June 19.
'We know that Tamika did not drive a vehicle and regularly walked around the township of Port Lincoln,' Detective Superintendent Fielke said.
A close relative told Daily Mail Australia their family was reeling from reports her sibling had been accused of such a serious offence.
'Please report how Tamika is in a mental psychosis,' said the relative. 'This is not her... she would never do these things.'
In Chesser's last phone call to her family, a week before the alleged murder, she had been worried about one of her dogs because it had 'pooed on the floor'.
Mr Story, who was 'not in a good mind space himself' had in earlier phone calls been 'going off in the background' when the Chesser family spoke with the alleged killer.
'There is more to this story,' the relative said.
They said 'a lot has happened' in Chesser's life since she appeared on Beauty and the Geek and 'in the past five years she's become very mentally ill'.
They told 9News: 'It just started getting worse, you know, and she started being in and out of mental health.'
'She didn't mention anything and she just told everyone that she loves them. It is very sad and I'm really sorry to Julian's family.'
In addition to the murder charge, Chesser is accused of assaulting police.
She is further charged with knowingly performing an act or omission intending to result in human remains being less likely to be found for the purposes of concealing the commission of an offence.