Defence lawyers say a man alleged to have used a wooden paddle to bash his neighbour Maud Steenbeek to death was mentally impaired at the time of the killing.
Xochil Quetzal O'Neill, 29, has pleaded not guilty to one charge of murder.
Court documents allege about 8:00pm on January 28, Mr O'Neill entered Ms Steenbeek's Heidelberg West home via a back door and struck her multiple times on the head and body with a wooden paddle he had picked up inside the home.
Ms Steenbeek was on a Skype call to her brother in the Netherlands at the time.
Court documents show her son was alerted to the abrupt end of the video call and was at the house within minutes, confronting and detaining Mr O'Neill.
Neighbours heard yelling and dogs barking, the documents show.
Ms Steenbeck did not know Mr O'Neill even though he lived on the same street, diagonally opposite her.
Mr O'Neill appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court via videolink wearing a helmet.
His lawyer, David Grace, told the court his client had a brain injury and was mentally impaired at the time of the alleged attack.
After a brief hearing, Magistrate Susan Wakeling committed Mr O'Neill for trial.
He is due to appear in the Supreme Court on July 29.
