Jury selection takes place before the start of Hannah Marie Martin's murder trial at Jackson County Circuit Court on Tuesday. 

A Medford woman accused of fatally stabbing another woman during a robbery over fentanyl in 2022 faced a jury Tuesday in Jackson County Circuit Court.

Hannah Marie Martin, 23, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and one count of first-degree robbery in the death of Brittany Laine Lovrovich, 31, on March 22, 2022 in Medford.

Martin, dressed in casual clothes, sat in court and listened to one of her attorneys, Rachel Pavlich, and the lead prosecutor, Senior Deputy District Attorney Michael Cohen, provide opening statements to the jury of six men and eight women.

“Hannah Martin did not murder Ms. Lovrovich,” Pavlich said. “She reacted to a violent drug dealer who is 3 inches taller, at least 20 pounds heavier and 10 years older than she was.”

Cohen said what Martin allegedly did was part of “a plan to use force in a robbery,” which occurred in the wee hours of the morning between OK Market and Rumors Karaoke.

Martin’s co-defendant, Zackary Carl Helwagen, 32, has pleaded not guilty to the same charges as Martin, but is being tried separately. His trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 9.

“He was an addict, an abuser and a master manipulator,” Pavlich said of Helwagen.

Martin and Helwagen had a friend, Kyle Andrew Dean Adams, 40, who both Cohen and Pavlich agreed was a drug dealer and became upset the day before the murder when he suspected Lovrovich stole some of his belongings, including fentanyl.

Adams and Helwagen knew each other through the cannabis industry, Pavlich said, and both came up with a plan to recover Adams’ property. Martin, meanwhile, was “the controlled 21-year-old, middleman patsy,” Pavlich said.

Cohen said Adams reached out to Helwagen for help getting his belongings, but did not want violence, Cohen said. However, Martin and Helwagen had “other plans,” which included Martin being instructed to “poke” Lovrovich if she does not cooperate, Cohen said.

Martin had been communicating with Lovrovich in the moments leading up to the stabbing, and they agreed Martin would meet Lovrovich in her car, Cohen and Pavlich said.

Little did Lovrovich know that Helwagen had handed Martin two knives, with Adams warning her, “‘(Lovrovich) is bigger than you,” Pavlich said.

“‘You’re a little girl and she’s going to (expletive) you up,'” Pavlich said, reciting what Adams said to Martin.

Martin, who was “on high alert,” reacted when Lovrovich reached for something in the back of her car, Pavlich said.

“A struggle ensued, and Ms. Lovrovich was stabbed,” Pavlich said.

Cohen said surveillance video did not capture the women’s altercation, just Lovrovich’s vehicle “rocking” for several seconds before Martin fled out the passenger side of the vehicle.

Lovrovich, meanwhile, opened the driver’s side door and asked for 911, Cohen said. She walked several feet before she collapsed and died.

The trial will resume at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Judge Laura Cromwell said. The trial is expected to last until Friday.