Christine Lyons, accused of murdering mother Samantha Kelly, 'desperately wanted children'
Updated
A woman on trial for murdering a mother of four in Bendigo in early 2016 was desperate to have children of her own, Victoria's Supreme Court has heard.
Christine Lyons, 47, and her co-accused and cousin-in-law Ron Lyons, 45, each face one charge of murder and one charge of attempted murder.
"Christine Lyons had a very powerful desire to have a family, to have children of her own," prosecutor Fran Dalziel told the court during opening arguments in the pair's trial.
"Christine desperately wanted children."
The partially buried body of 39-year-old Samantha Kelly, who lived with the accused pair at a property in Kangaroo Flat in Bendigo, was found outside of the city more than two years ago.
Her children were aged from 11 months to six years at the time.
The court heard Ms Kelly died from blunt-force trauma to the head after another man, Peter Arthur, struck her with a hammer.
"When Peter Arthur killed Samantha Kelly he did so, so that Christine Lyons would take up parenting of Samantha Kelly's children," Ms Dalziel said.
The court heard Ms Lyons had approached 10 people to have a baby for her but none of them had agreed.
The prosecution alleged Ms Lyons told others she wanted Ms Kelly to go on a "permanent holiday".
The court heard Peter Arthur and Ron Lyons were motivated by the fact that they were "devoted" to Christine Lyons and "they knew how desperately she wanted children".
Mr Arthur was Ms Lyons' romantic partner.
The co-accused pair had claimed Ms Kelly had abandoned her children when she disappeared in January 2016, the court heard.
The trial continues.
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, courts-and-trials, kangaroo-flat-3555, bendigo-3550, melbourne-3000, vic
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