Lisa Lines argues she has no case to answer over alleged attempt to murder Jonathon Hawtin in 2017
The woman who allegedly orchestrated to kill Jonathon Hawtin in a brutal axe attack said if she really wanted him dead she wouldn’t have called triple-0.
Police & Courts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The woman who allegedly orchestrated to kill Jonathon Hawtin in a brutal axe attack has argued the charge should be thrown out as if she really wanted him dead she wouldn’t have called triple-0.
Lisa Lines, 43, and Zacharia Bruckner, 36, pleaded not guilty in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Thursday to two counts of conspiracy to murder.
Mr Bruckner also pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder of Mr Hawtin, while Ms Lines argued she had no case to answer for the charge.
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 continued to plot to kill him and his mother Rohnda Hawtin using a hitman.
Police allege Ms Lines and Mr Bruckner attempted to murder Mr Hawtin, 36, in a brutal axe attack in October 2017 at Littlehampton.
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 another of Ms Lines’ ex-lovers, Letiticia Fortune, 34, was arrested about a week later.
Ms Fortune will argue she has no case to answer for a charge of attempted murder in February.
On Thursday, Dominic Agresta, for Ms Lines, said there was no evidence to demonstrate how his client entered an agreement or participated in the attempted murder of Mr Hawtin in 2017.
“There are two tiny spots of blood on my client’s tracksuit,” he said.
Mr Agresta said the only inference that could be drawn from the blood spots was Ms Lines’ presence in the shed, as there was no dispute that she entered the garage after the events.
He told the court Ms Lines attended to the injuries of both men and her triple-0 call demonstrates “sincere panic” in her voice.
“If it’s true that she was involved in the plan to kill Mr Hawtin there’s no information about why she would call for an ambulance with such haste,” Mr Agresta said.
“Had she wished to kill Mr Hawtin, all she had to do was not make that call.”
Timisha Ward, for the prosecution, told the court they allege Ms Lines called triple-0 and assisted Mr Hawtin to “stage the scene” and disguise the offending as an act of self defence.
Ms Ward said Ms Lines allegedly used herself as bait for Mr Hawtin to attend the property so she could facilitate Mr Bruckner carrying out the crime.
Chief Magistrate Judge Mary-Louise Hribal will make a ruling next week.
Guns, drugs and crossbow seized in rural property raid
A man has been charged after a cache of weapons and drugs were seized as police search a property in the state’s South-East.
Cyclist seriously injured in multi-car crash
Major Crash investigators are at the scene of a crash in Adelaide’s outskirts involving two cars and a bike that has left a cyclist with serious injuries.