Mother of two Samantha Mizzi was found unresponsive by a passerby in bushes at the rear of a St Kilda property in Melbourne's southeast in March 1994.
The 24-year-old from the central Victorian town of Castlemaine, near Bendigo, was taken to hospital but died the next morning.
Police have been investigating the case for more than 30 years and earlier in 2025 issued a plea for more information on Ms Mizzi's death.
A 67-year-old man was arrested in Ararat and charged with her murder and two counts of rape on Thursday.Â
Court documents allege the man raped Ms Mizzi on March 29 and murdered her on March 30.
He is understood to have previously been convicted of several sex offences and was labelled "a serious danger to the community" by a judge in 1998 for molesting and abducting a 10-year-old girl.
A November 2023 suppression order prohibiting his identification is still in effect in the County Court, preventing the man being named in media reports.
He faced Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday afternoon, bald with a long grey beard and wearing a Fire Rescue T-shirt.
Ms Mizzi's daughter and son watched him as they sat in the front row of the courtroom for the brief hearing.
Defence lawyer Vanessa Parbhoo said the man had been prescribed anti-depressants and medication for his diabetes.
She said he had seen a nurse, but only had medication for two or three days.
The man was remanded in custody and will return to court on December 18 for a committal mention.
Outside court, Ms Mizzi's children Steven and Tanille said they were relieved someone had finally been charged over their mother's violent death.
"We're very grateful this person's in custody and we're going to take some time as a family to process and everything," Steven said.
"We've got a long journey ahead. No one's safe from a crime of this nature."
Tanille said: "It sends a very powerful message, if someone can be convicted after 31 years. It's a big deterrence. We're still processing so I don't really have the right words."
Police will allege Ms Mizzi was severely beaten with an object and sexually abused before being stripped and left to die.
Her belongings were stolen and the weapon used in her alleged murder was never found.
She had travelled to St Kilda the previous day in a bid to earn money to support her children, who were at home being cared for by a friend.
The arrest and charges highlight how detectives remained committed to holding violent offenders to account no matter how many years had passed, Detective Inspector Dean Thomas said.
"It also shows that progress can be made on cases, even after decades have passed, and that we can begin the process of providing families with long-needed answers," he said.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
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