Now: Woman, 61, who murdered her partner by slipping him a lethal cocktail of drugs to claim his $300,000 estate has her sentencing delayed after a coronavirus scare
A NSW woman who killed her partner in Adelaide, poisoning him with a toxic cocktail of drugs including morphine, valium and tramadol, has had her sentencing delayed because of a COVID-19 scare.
Wendie-Sue Dent was listed to come before the Supreme Court on Thursday for Justice Tim Stanley to fix a non-parole period over the murder of her de facto husband David Lawrence in December 2015
But the hearing was cancelled at the last minute with Dent unable to be brought to the court from an Adelaide detention facility.
Wendie-Sue Dent was listed to come before the Supreme Court on Thursday for Justice Tim Stanley to fix a non-parole period over the murder of her de facto husband David Lawrence in December 2015
The Department of Correctional Services later confirmed an inmate at the facility had reported feeling unwell and in line with 'operational procedures' all people in the same area had been given a COVID-19 test and placed in isolation.
The incident also prevented Thursday's hearing in a murder trial already in progress.
Dent had denied murdering Mr Lawrence to claim his $300,000 estate, but was found guilty by a jury in April.
The prosecution had alleged the 61-year-old, who lived at Dapto in NSW's Illawarra region before her arrest, administered him a mixture of dangerous medications that had all been prescribed to her.
A post-mortem examination revealed the toxic levels of morphine alone were enough to kill the 62-year-old.
In sentencing submissions last month, the dead man's family said he was helpful and kind to everyone but paid for that with his life.
Dent had denied murdering Mr Lawrence to claim his $300,000 estate, but was found guilty by a jury in April
'It takes no effort for us to hate you. We will never forgive you, never. You do not deserve that,' they told Dent in a victim impact statement read to the court.
'You knew what you were doing. You planned David's death. You murdered him over several days only so you could get his life savings.'
In those same submissions, defence counsel Martin Anders asked the court to consider Dent's medical history when setting a non-parole period, describing her as someone with a profound opioid addiction who had operated in a 'drug-induced fog'.
But prosecutor Emily Telfer said there was no evidence of Dent being in a fog or removed from reality.
A new date for Dent's sentencing is yet to be set.