Lisa Lines arrested on tiny Pacific island, charged with attempted murder and conspiracy over 2017 Littlehampton axe attack
An Adelaide woman faces extradition from a tiny Pacific island, charged along with a former lover with attempting to murder – and plotting to murder – her tetraplegic ex-partner.
Police & Courts
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The former Adelaide woman arrested in the tiny Pacific nation of Palau to face attempted murder and conspiracy to murder charges can be revealed as Lisa Lines.
Ms Lines, 43, has been remanded in custody in Koros, while her former lover Zacharia Josef Bruckner, 36, was arrested in Queensland to face charges of conspiracy to murder and attempted murder.
Some of the charges relate to an incident at Littlehampton in the Adelaide Hills in October 2017 in which Ms Lines’ former partner Jonathon Hawtin – who was attacked with an axe to the back of the neck and head and became a tetraplegic as a result – was accused of shooting Mr Bruckner in the abdomen.
Mr Hawtin, 36, was charged with attempted murder but was acquitted of all charges, including aggravated causing serious harm with intent, in 2019.
A warrant was issued for Ms Lines’ arrest last August, after she went overseas following Mr Hawtin’s acquittal.
The charges on the warrant include a second alleged attempt to murder Mr Hawtin at Lightsview in January 2018, and an alleged plot, with Mr Bruckner, to murder Mr Hawtin between December 2019 and August last year.
The charges also include a further alleged plan to murder Mr Hawtin’s mother, Rohnda Hawtin over the same period of time.
At the time, police had sought a suppression in relation to Ms Lines, but that suppression was revoked on Thursday morning, allowing both accused and Mr Hawtin to be identified.
According to Ms Lines’ LinkedIn page, she is a historian, author and academic editor.
She studied in Adelaide, gaining PhDs in history and creative writing from Adelaide and Flinders University.
The profile also indicates Ms Lines has worked as a lecturer at all three SA universities and started her own specialised academic editing business, Capstone Editing, in April 2017.
She has also written a book about female participants in the Spanish Civil War.
At the time of the incident at Littlehampton in 2017, Mr Bruckner was living with and working for Ms Lines.
In 2020, Major Crime Investigation Branch started a review of the investigation into the incident, finding evidence that resulted in a warrant for Ms Lines.
Major Crime officers engaged federal authorities and overseas police to help with inquiries that led to her arrest on Wednesday.
Mr Bruckner appeared briefly in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday, where Major Crime detectives are seeking his extradition to South Australia. The matter is expected to be called back later.
During Mr Hawtin’s trial in 2019, the Supreme Court had heard allegations he went to his ex-partner’s home and lured Mr Bruckner into a garage on the property to show him his gun collection before opening fire with a rifle.
He was completely cleared of any wrongdoing following his acquittal.
A prosecutor told the court Mr Hawtin had suspected his ex-partner was “involved romantically” with Mr Bruckner, who had been sharing a home with Mr Hawtin and Ms Lines for some time.
The trio had moved to the Adelaide Hills town in 2017, and Ms Lines later told Mr Hawtin she wanted to end their relationship.
“The accused was not happy about the separation but eventually moved out of the family home towards the end of July 2017,” the prosecutor said.
The jury had been told that in August 2017, Ms Lines and Mr Bruckner began a sexual relationship they did not believe Mr Hawtin knew about.
Mr Hawtin’s belongings, including a collection of five guns in a safe, were kept in the garage.
The jury of six men and six women took three hours to come to a unanimous verdict, finding Mr Hawtin not guilty of attempted murder and the alternative charge of aggravated causing serious harm with intent to cause serious harm.
Police said further arrests and charges could not be ruled out and urged anyone with information about the incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report online at crimestopperssa.com.au
- with Patrick Billings
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