Australian woman who lured man to death to give evidence against co-accused

Samantha Guillerme’s murder charge was reduced to manslaughter after crown prosecutors accepted she did not know Lovison was going to be killed.

A broken father has cursed the woman who unwittingly lured his son to his death, saying he wished her a “miserable and long” stint in jail for her “evil betrayal”.

John Lovison took the stand in the Victoria Supreme Court on Monday to tell Samantha Grace Guillerme, 26, how his life had unravelled after Jarrad, 37, was allegedly murdered.

Holding a photo of his son, he stared directly at Guillerme as he delivered his emotional testimony.

“You used to come to his home, our home; you would talk to (John’s partner) Di and us for hours,” he said.

“We would drive you around … you would eat with us. Your betrayal has broken us.

“What did he do? He liked you a lot, and for that he paid with his life.”

Jarrad Lovison’s body was discovered in bushland in the Moondarra State Park, in Victoria’s Gippsland region, in April 2020.

The Newborough man had vanished five weeks earlier, having told a friend he was going to meet a girl and “hopefully get some”.

The court heard that in the weeks after he vanished, police uncovered a plot involving Guillerme to lure him to a remote area and “teach him a lesson”.

Guillerme had been set to stand trial alongside her two co-accused, however, her murder charge was reduced to manslaughter after crown prosecutors accepted she did not know Lovison was going to be killed.

“He wants to f … me; I can get him to come anywhere,” prosecutor Mark Rochford said Guillerme told a co-accused before the alleged murder.

Jarrad Lovison. Photo / Handout via NCA NewsWire

His remains were discovered after tracking Guillerme’s cell phone movements on the night.

The court heard Lovison rode his bike out to the remote area about 2.30am on April 16 to meet her.

The court heard they were sitting in a car smoking cigarettes, when prosecutors allege Guillerme’s boyfriend, Jake Brown, 28, and Andrew Price, 49, exited their hiding spot in the bush holding guns.

Both men have pleaded not guilty to murder, and are due to face trial in mid 2023.

The men allegedly led Lovison into the bush, where he was forced or tricked into consuming a lethal dose of the drug GHB, the court heard.

The court heard Guillerme allegedly drove her co-accused from the scene and was told: “it’s better if you don’t ask any questions”.

According to court documents, she was recorded on phone intercepts saying she thought he was just going to have the “s*** kicked out of him”.

Defence barrister John Desmond told the court Guillerme had asked him to issue a “genuine and sincere apology” to Lovison’s family.

She has also agreed to provide evidence against her co-accused at the trial.

He told the court the psychology student deserved leniency because she was only aware of a plot to bash Lovison and had now placed herself at risk.

Lovison told the court his “gentle giant” of a son was well known in the local area for being the type of person who would give you his last $5.

“Dianne and I are farmers; we know what happens to a body in the bush,” he said.

“You knew we were desperately pleading for someone to come forward and you didn’t.

“Don’t tell us you’re remorseful.

“How could you do that to him ... It’s just pure evil. He was dumped like a piece of rubbish.”

Guillerme was remanded into custody and will return for sentencing in February.