Lisa Lines and Letiticia Fortune will argue no case to answer over alleged attempts to murder Jonathon Hawtin
A woman and one of her ex-lovers will argue their charges should be thrown out over alleged attempts to murder her ex-husband Jonathon Hawtin.
Police & Courts
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Two people will argue their charges should be thrown out relating to a bizarre series of alleged plots to kill Jonathon Hawtin.
Lisa Lines, 43, is charged with the attempted murder of Mr Hawtin, alongside her two ex-lovers, Zacharia Bruckner, 36, and Letiticia Fortune, 34.
In the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Thursday, counsel for Ms Lines and Ms Fortune told the court they would be arguing their clients had no case to answer.
A “no case to answer” application is made when the defence considers that the prosecution case does not support a finding of guilt and says the court should dismiss the charge without them having to present a case.
After hearing prosecution and defence submissions, a magistrate will determine whether the prosecution case is sufficient to support a finding of guilt.
If not, the charges will be dismissed against the defendants, otherwise they will be committed to stand trial.
Counsel for Mr Bruckner told the court they would appear at the no case submissions hearing but wouldn’t be participating and needed further time to analyse material before he entered pleas.
The court has previously heard Mr Hawtin had been rendered a tetraplegic in an earlier attempt on his life, which police allege was orchestrated by Ms Lines and Mr Bruckner.
SA Police allege Ms Lines attempted to murder Mr Hawtin in the Adelaide Hills in October 2017 and then continued to plot to kill him and his mother Rohnda Hawtin using a hit man. She is yet to enter pleas to two counts of attempted murder and two counts of conspiracy to murder.
Some of the charges relate to an incident at Littlehampton in October 2017, during which police allege Ms Lines and Mr Bruckner attempted to murder Mr Hawtin, 36, in a brutal axe attack.
Mr Bruckner is yet to enter pleas to a charge of attempted murder and two counts of conspiracy to murder.
Mr Bruckner was shot and Mr Hawtin, who was seriously injured by an axe, was charged with attempted murder before he was acquitted at trial in 2019.
The case was reopened after crime scene evidence was re-examined and police came to believe Mr Hawtin was the victim.
Ms Lines was arrested on the tiny island of Palau, southeast of the Philippines, in November last year after police learned she was travelling there.
At the same time, police arrested Mr Bruckner in Brisbane, while Ms Fortune was arrested about a week later.
Ms Fortune is also yet to enter a plea to attempted murder.
On Thursday, Magistrate Lynette Duncan adjourned the group’s charges until next month for the no case submissions hearing.
Ms Fortune, who is the only accused on bail, made no comment to waiting media as she left court with a large group of supporters.
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