The plea came on the third day of her trial over the death of her former husband Patrick Plumbe.

She had previously pleaded not guilty to murder.

The couple lived in Glenrowan and Plumbe's body was found incinerated in the Warby Ranges in 2005.

Vandergulik has been remanded in custody for a plea hearing on November 3.

Last week, the court heard Vandergulik had staged a car crash near Wangaratta to make it look like Plumbe had killed himself.

Vandergulik, 61, had been married to Plumbe for two days when his charred body was found in his burnt-out utility on Adams Track on April 28, 2005.

The day after their wedding Mr Plumbe’s will was set up to have his entire estate go to Vandergulik.

In his opening address, prosecutor Peter Rose, SC, had told the jury that Mr Plumbe, 61, had suffered a fractured skull and was breathing, but not necessarily conscious, when he was put inside his utility, taken to Adams Track and the car set alight.

He said the accident was staged to make it look like Mr Plumbe had driven into a tree.

“Patrick Plumbe did not drive into a tree,” Mr Rose said.

“The evidence points to the intervention of someone else in the death of the deceased.”

Mr Rose could not say what assistance, or to what extent, Vandergulik, of Kialla near Shepparton, was helped in carrying out the plan.

Mr Rose told the jury that witnesses would include Vandergulik’s former lover Tony Calandro.

He said Mr Calandro would tell the court Vandergulik had confessed to killing her husband.

Vandergulik had told Mr Calandro that the pair had argued at their Glenrowan home, he had hit her with a chair and she had pushed him and he had fallen, hit his head and died.

Mr Rose said Vandergulik then told Shepparton police she had received death threats from Mr Calandro and two days later she was shot in the arm at her Kialla property.

Vandergulik’s barrister Ian Hill, QC, said much of what Ms Jackson-Jones had said was in dispute and asked the jury to consider her reliability, credibility and truthfulness.

Mr Hill said defence witnesses would tell of a happily married couple and urged the jury to keep an open mind.

Full coverage in tomorrow's Border Mail.