The retrial of a woman convicted of murder here in 1982 began yesterday in Circuit Court.

Maryann Acker is charged with the second-degree murder of Honolulu man Lawrence Hasker, 20, in 1978.

She was convicted largely on the testimony of her then-husband, William Acker, who will again testify for the prosecution in the retrial.

Deputy prosecuting attorney Landon Murata told jurors in his opening statement that the Ackers came here from Arizona in the summer of 1978 and planned to support themselves by robbing tourists and drug dealers.

"The plan was that Maryann would go into a bar and attract the attention of some young man and then relieve him of his money," Murata said.

They kidnapped and robbed one victim, then did the same nine days later to Hasker, taking him first to the apartment where they were staying, then to Hanauma Bay, Murata said.

"Maryann Acker shot and killed Lawrence Hasker" by firing three gunshots into his head, Murata said.

But defense lawyer Keith Shigetomi called William Acker "an infection" who manipulated and intimidated his young wife into participating in crimes and then blamed her for the murder.

Maryann Acker was 18 at the time of the Hasker murder and William Acker was 28.

"William always looked out for William," Shigetomi said.

"He made a deal to testify that Maryann did it," Shigetomi said, but "William Gerald Acker shot and killed Lawrence Hasker."

After the murder, the couple fled to California where they committed another murder in 1978.

They were also convicted of that crime and Maryann Acker is serving a life sentence in California.

She was also sentenced to a life term with the possibility of parole in the case here.

Maryann Acker won a new trial here after Circuit Judge Michael Town ruled that jurors in the original trial were given insufficient information about William Acker's involvement in the California case.