Police believe a Melbourne man who allegedly "slaughtered" and then mutilated his wife in front of their three young children may have murdered her because she did not want him to join the Islamic State group in Syria, court documents have revealed.

The 35-year-old Broadmeadows man is also accused of bashing two of their children, aged under six, around the head — in one instance with a milk crate — and burning his toddler daughter with hot water.

The man cannot be identified under a court order to protect the identity of his children.

He was arrested and charged with the murder of his wife after police arrived at his home in July 2016 and found his children suffering from head injuries.

The three children were taken to the Royal Children's Hospital and told police they had witnessed their father "slaughtering" their mother with a knife in the lounge room, according to the prosecution summary.

Another of the children told detectives his mother's "body was nothing but blood".

They told police their father wrapped the 27-year-old's body in electrical tape, plastic and a doona before putting her body in the boot of the family car.

It is alleged the man drove to grassland next to the Dallas tennis courts where he dumped the body, before taking his children, who were also in the car, to a bakery to buy pastries.

Her body was found with a large number of slashes and deep cuts including to her face, legs and lower back.

The prosecution summary alleged the man told his brother-in-law he had fought with his wife over his desire to go to Syria to fight for Islamic State and had sliced her hand with a knife six months before her death.

Husband did not allow wife to leave house: court documents

In the months before her death, it is alleged the woman was not allowed to leave the house, speak to her family or watch television.

Her husband also erected a tarp on the fence around the backyard to stop neighbours from seeing into their property and covered their home's window with shutters, according to the prosecution summary.

The children had never attended school and only spoke broken English.

"He wanted them to only speak Lebanese, and learn the Koran," the prosecution summary stated.

"He wanted to teach them about guns, swords, war and jihad."

The committal hearing is expected to conclude on Monday when a magistrate will decide if there is enough evidence to send him to trial.