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Melbourne teen denies dating app murder

A "very damaged" young Melbourne woman has denied murdering a man she met on the dating app Plenty of Fish.

Maulin Rathod, 24, was found face down and partially dressed on a bed with a phone charger cable around his neck on July 24 last year after going on a date with 19-year-old Jamie Lee Dolheguy.

The petite teenager wailed loudly in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday as details of the death were described by police during a pre-trial committal hearing.

Forensic pathologist Noel Woodford said Mr Rathod died from a global cerebral hypoxic-ischemic brain injury - brain damage secondary to a lack of oxygen or blood supply.

He said this likely occurred due to compression of the neck, although Mr Rathod did not have ligature marks.

Dr Woodford added there didn't appear to be evidence of sexual activity or intercourse.

The court was also told that before the alleged murder, Dolheguy was under the care of Jesuit Social Services, which organised care staff to spend day or overnight shifts offering her support.

Lauren Cusick, manager of the service's indigenous support program, said she remembered Dolheguy previously discussing hurting others.

She said a crisis and support plan had been set up for Dolheguy who was a "very damaged young person" who would self-harm and sometimes self-strangulate.

There had been concern about her support being cut off the year before, when she turned 18, so the service would have regular meetings about her care, which was attended by local police.

Ms Cusick said Dolheguy had made two suicide attempts in the months leading up to Mr Rathod's death.

"I'm feeling really sick with bad temptations," she allegedly texted one of the service's support workers the night before the alleged murder.

Acting Sergeant Kirby Healy told the court police attended Dolheguy's home after she called them to say she'd killed someone.

"While I was doing CPR, she was yelling out to me: "See I wasn't lying, I killed him'," Sgt Healy said.

Dolheguy then walked into her kitchen and sat down, put her head on the table and started crying before she was handcuffed, the policewoman added.

Medical practitioner Shiraz Mahkri told the court he assessed Dolheguy after the alleged murder, noting her medical history of borderline personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, disassociation, depression and suicidal ideation.

She had a history of pulling her hair out, self-harm, and had old scars on her limbs he believed were self-inflicted, he added.

Dolheguy's lawyers previously flagged they would argue she was either mentally impaired or unfit to plead.

After pleading not guilty, Dolheguy was directed to stand trial in the Supreme Court of Victoria, where she is due to appear on Friday for a directions hearing.

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