An Adelaide woman who allegedly attempted to murder her ex-partner had searched for “hit men” and “poison” and had proposed methods of killing including “bombing or gassing”, a court has heard.
Lisa Lines, 45, appeared in South Australia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, where she made a bid for home detention bail.
The former university academic and historian was extradited to Adelaide from Palau in 2023 after the alleged attempted murder of her ex-partner, Jonathon Hawtin, in 2017.
Dr Lines is charged alongside Zachariah Bruckner, 32, who prosecutors allege hit Mr Hawtin several times in the neck with an axe, rendering him tetraplegic.
Police allege that, in the incident at the Littlehampton home, Mr Bruckner also received a gunshot wound to his stomach.
Mr Hawtin was himself charged over the 2017 shooting at Littlehampton but was subsequently acquitted when a Supreme Court jury found him not guilty in 2019.
Mr Hawtin became a tetraplegic as a result of his injuries. (Supplied)
Another woman, Letitia Fortune, 37, is charged with attempting to smother Mr Hawtin with a “pillow or bag” at the rehabilitation centre where he was recovering.
All have previously pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
In court today, Dr Lines’s defence argued she should be released on home detention bail due to the hardship her imprisonment has on her children, and that her complicated health needs are not being met in prison.
Bail opposed by prosecution
Her lawyer proposed strict bail conditions including that Dr Lines not have access to any device that could connect to the internet.
He argued that by the time Dr Lines was due to stand trial in 2027, his client would have been in custody for four years and that it “exceeds what this court accepts is an appropriate time on remand”.
Prosecutor Timisha Ward opposed all forms of bail given the serious nature of the alleged offences, and said the accused posed a significant flight risk and a risk to the community.
Ms Ward also alleged Dr Lines had “meticulously” planned her departure to non-Interpol countries and researched extradition law prior to leaving Australia.
Over $200,000 spent on citizenship
The court heard Dr Lines had spent $230,000 to buy citizenship of Vanuatu.
Ms Ward told the court the prosecution’s case would outline Dr Lines’s search history and documentation about “assassins”, “hit men” and poisons including “cyanide and arsenic”.
She said it would be alleged Dr Lines had a “fixation” on killing Mr Hawtin and his mother.
Lisa Lines was extradited to Adelaide in November 2023. (ABC News)
She also alleged that Dr Lines had spoken with undercover police, who were acting as hit men, and proposed methods of killing the pair, including creating a car accident and bombing or gassing them.
Ms Ward said Dr Lines was a “very poor candidate” for bail, and that the prosecution had “a strong case against” her.
She also said that the “health issues reported to be faced by Dr Lines, including possible bowel cancer, brain aneurysm, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, carpal tunnel and a prolapsed pelvic floor” were being adequately managed within the prison health system.
The Supreme Court Justice has ordered a home detention suitability report and the matter will return to court in January.