Woman Found Guilty of Murdering Bendigo Mother So She Could Take Her Kids

Christine Lyons has been found guilty of murdering Bendigo mother-of-four Samantha Kelly as part of a plan to take custody of her children.

Her co-accused and cousin-in-law, Ron Lyons, was found not guilty of murder, but guilty of attempted murder, reports ABC news.

Christine Lyons’ former lover, Peter Arthur, carried out the murder, striking Ms Kelly, 39, multiple times in the head with a hammer.

Christine Lyons, Ron Lyons and Peter Arthur lived at the same Kangaroo Flat property as Ms Kelly.

The prosecution had argued Christine Lyons was desperate to have a family of her own.

Ms Kelly was killed in January 2016 and her body was found in bushland south-west of Bendigo the following month.

The jury of seven women and five men took six days to reach its verdict.

Arthur was last year jailed for 16 years after pleading guilty to bashing Ms Kelly to death in the bungalow she lived in at the rear of the Kangaroo Flat property.

The trial for Christine Lyons and Ron Lyons was told the trio had plotted over several weeks to kill Ms Kelly, motivated by Christine Lyons’ “very powerful desire to have a family”.

More details to come…

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15 Comments

- - Blossom said
  - 18 Oct 2018
    12:10 am
I’m confused. The article says Peter Arthur carried out the murder.
Obviously the other 2 were involved in the plot. Have they actually been sentenced yet?
They will never get custody of the children now.

- - mom101628 said
  - 22 Sep 2018
    10:09 pm
This case shows how many people should be being watched or ‘in care’ because they are incapable of ‘rational’ thoughts. So sorry for the mum and for her children now in DOC’s care.

- - curlytops said
  - 13 Sep 2018
    10:58 pm
This is so sick. Some people should not be in the community.

- - mom111059 said
  - 25 Jun 2018
    7:59 am
Some people are just evil. What a sad story those children have lost their mother because of this horrible person.

- - Staceylee101 said
  - 22 Jun 2018
    7:01 pm
The minds of these people are very small, they have no hearts as well. I hope they suffer in jail.

- - mom81879 said
  - 22 Jun 2018
    9:46 am
Oh my god, what was going through this person’s mind? Did she not stop to think of the consequences of killing someone? As if a murderer would get custody of kids. Now these kids have no one. Appalling

- - mom93821 said
  - 22 Jun 2018
    5:08 am
This is absolutely sickening and heartbreaking for her children.

- - cherz said
  - 21 Jun 2018
    9:08 pm
Poor children will grow up without the love of their mum. So very sad,

- - mom206279 said
  - 21 Jun 2018
    8:46 pm
Poor kids. Its awful they have to grow up without their mum.

- - mom90758 said
  - 21 Jun 2018
    6:49 pm
I also think that she should have gotten more than sixteen years.

- - ashna9 said
  - 21 Jun 2018
    6:40 pm
How dreadful and thank goodness she has received a lengthy jail term although it probably isn’t enough.
- mom93821 replied
  
  23 Jun 2018 , 5:04 am
  The poor children now have a lifetime without their mother.
- - becstalou said
  - 21 Jun 2018
    12:36 pm
How awful. Those poor children who have lost their Mother.

- - Cookfromscratchmum said
  - 21 Jun 2018
    12:23 pm
The crazy world we live in its not safe anymore

- - nealsq said
  - 21 Jun 2018
    11:44 am
16 years is not enough for taking a life