Police investigate potential ‘housemate custody plot’ in death of Samantha Kelly.
Original story first posted in February 2016… The Herald Sun reported, Peter James Arthur, 44, who lived with Ms Kelly and her children at a property in Kangaroo Flat, is charged with one count of murder. His partner Christine Ann Lyons, 44, and her former partner Ronald Lyons, 43, who also lived at the Wesley St address, are each charged with accessory to murder.
The Herald Sun understands Ms Lyons is unable to have children and police are investigating if she had a longing to take responsibility for Ms Kelly’s youngsters.
A source said: “The whole thing is just unbelievable”.
“It’s a shocking mess,’’ the source said.
The 39-year-old’s housemates — who failed to report Ms Kelly missing — had told the Herald Sun she walked out on her children and didn’t properly care for them.
Police have since revealed Ms Lyons and Mr Lyons in early February — two weeks after Ms Kelly’s murder — attended a school to enrol one of her daughters but said she was to be referred to by a different first name and their surname.
Ms Kelly’s Medicare card was presented.
Ms Kelly’s body was found buried in a dry creek bank late Thursday near Shelbourne. Ronald Lyons, Christine Lyons and Peter Arthur have been charged in relation to the death .
UPDATE 10 Jan 2017
Christine Lyons and Ronald Lyons, who are not related, are facing a committal hearing in Bendigo accused of murdering their housemate, Samantha Kelly, 39.
Police say Ms Kelly was bludgeoned to death with a hammer.
Her decomposing body was found in a dry creek bed three weeks after she disappeared from the home she and her four children shared with the accused killers in Kangaroo Flat in January 2016.
One of Ronald Lyon’s relatives testified that both accused killers discussed in front of her their plans to kill Ms Kelly.
“Chrissy brought Sammy up, just talking about ideas about how to do Sam in,” Shiralee Lyons told the Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, reports 9 news.
“What I remember was it had come up about Sam, and she (Christine) wanted Sam’s kids and she wanted to do Sam in,” the 36-year-old said.
“Then she asked, like, what ways we can do it.”
At this point in the conversation, Ronald allegedly suggested killing Ms Kelly with a hypodermic needle.
“Ron came up with the idea of putting a syringe up her veins, and it’s just an instant heart attack and it can’t be traced,” Shiralee Lyons said.
Shiralee Lyons said she stayed silent during the conversation because she did not think the pair were serious.
“I treated it as a joke, laughed it off,” she said.
Counsel for Ronald, John Desmond, accused Shiralee Lyons of lying about the conversation.
“I’m putting to you that it’s just a lie, this entire story of this conversation in the car, where Ron talks about killing Sammy,” he told her.
The committal hearing before Magistrate Michael King continues.
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