Family of David Lawrence, who was murdered by Wendie-Sue Dent, speak out about her lawsuit to claim his remains and estate

A family who can’t even bury their sibling because of his murderer’s schemes have broken their long silence.

A family who still cannot bury their sibling, 10 years after he was killed, because his twice-convicted murderer is suing to claim his remains has lashed out at the state’s “incredulous” legal system.

For the first time, David Lawrence’s family have spoken about the trauma they have experienced in SA’s courts, which keep giving black widow Wendie-Sue Dent opportunities to pursue her lawsuits against them.

Despite her convictions, Dent insists she is the rightful beneficiary of David’s $300,000 estate, and should also have sole control over his remains.

Her Supreme Court claims are built on what she says is a will written nine weeks before David’s death – a document that, two separate criminal trials have found, was falsified.

The Lawrence family – Sue, Phillip, David, Rodney, his former partner, Tracy and her daughter Jodie, Kym and his wife Deb – prior to David's murder at the hands of Wendie-Sue Dent. Picture: Supplied by the family

On Thursday, David’s brother, Dr Phillip Lawrence, said the court’s ongoing refusal to throw out Dent’s case “flies in the face of legal logic” that stops criminals benefiting from their actions.

“In Australia, and indeed in any civilised country, crime does not pay,” he said.

“Drug dealers have their assets taken away, and prisoners in jail cannot write a book or sell their story to financially prosper from their criminal activities.

“It’s even more abhorrent, then, that a convicted murderer has been allowed by the court to engage in legal action to secure the estate of the person she has killed.”

David Lawrence. Picture: Supplied by the Lawrence family

Wendie-Sue Dent. Picture: Facebook

In 2015, Dent, now 66, of Dapto in NSW, murdered David, 63, with her medication – 20, 100mg tablets of morphine.

It was the ultimate act in her life of fraud, which included multiple convictions for forging prescriptions, larceny and dishonestly taking property.

Dent has falsely claimed to be a coronial assistant, a nursing unit manager, an international art courier, a rock band manager and the ex-fiancee of a pharmaceutical heir.

She also claimed to have been disabled, by electric shock, in one arm – and has insisted David died of asbestosis, despite him not suffering from the condition.

A page from the purported will of David Lawrence which, two criminal trials found, was falsified. Picture: Supreme Court of SA

The medication used, by Dent, to poison David Lawrence. Picture: Supreme Court of SA

Between 2019 and 2024, Dent was jailed for life with a 25-year non-parole period, won a retrial, was convicted again, given an identical sentence, filed another appeal, and lost.

That was not Dent’s only matter before the courts, however.

Throughout her trials, she was simultaneously suing Mr Lawrence and his family for David’s remains, for his estate and for $100,000 compensation for “treating her poorly”.

She also took out an injunction preventing the family from “dealing with” David’s body – while he has been cremated, he has never had a funeral nor been interred.

The Lawrences could not speak about that, however, due to suppression orders imposed to protect the integrity of the criminal trials.

Dent during the jury view at her first criminal trial. Picture: AAP/Sam Wundke

Those orders were revoked in May but, after Dent flagged a High Court challenge to her conviction, the Supreme Court declined to throw out her lawsuits.

Dent has been ordered to file an affidavit that spells out her “intentions”, for both her criminal and civil cases, before the matter proceeds further.

On Thursday, Dr Lawrence said his family had contested the will’s legitimacy ever since Dent first showed it to them – on the day he was found dead in his own bed.

“There was evidence in the two lengthy criminal trials the ‘will’ was written in Dapto just nine weeks before David’s murder took place,” he said.

“It was not signed by David, and it had his family members’ names incorrectly spelled – including his own mother’s name.”

Dent was interviewed by Major Crime detectives in Dapto, NSW. Picture: SA Police

He said that, since May, the family’s lawyers had argued Dent’s claim went against Australia’s forfeiture laws, which state a person may not benefit from a criminal act.

They are now preparing to use the law to compel Dent to appear in court, by video link from prison, and be cross-examined on the will’s validity.

“So far, Dent has been given around six months to respond,” he said.

“David’s entire estate has been taken up with legal costs, so it is not a matter of fighting over assets – it is now simply, as our family has long said, about justice.

“The trouble is justice is expensive, and has a long gestation and difficult birth.”

Dr Lawrence said the family struggled to understand why the civil case was permitted to continue when the criminal court had made clear findings about the will.

“While it seems incredulous the criminal matter took so long to resolve, it is eclipsed by Dent being allowed, by the civil court, to make a claim on David’s estate,” he said.

“That’s despite Dent having killed him in what the (criminal trial) judge said was murder specifically to gain the estate.”

The civil case returns to court in two weeks’ time.