Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates: Defence wraps up its case as marathon murder trial enters its final days
Murder trial winding up before jury handed the time to decide accused killer's fate
Lead defence barrister Colin Mandy SC commenced his closing address to the jury in the Erin Patterson murder trial on Tuesday afternoon.
Mr Mandy, who is expected to wrap up his closing address today, called the prosecution's case 'flawed' and even labelled an aspect of the case a 'charade'.
Crown prosecutor Dr Nanette Rogers wrapped up her closing address to the jury just before lunch on Tuesday.
Justice Christopher Beale has indicated he will commence his 'charge' to the jury after Mr Mandy has concluded his closing address.
Justice Beale already indicated to the jury his final instructions will go for several days.
The closings followed Patterson who entered the witness box for her eighth and final day in her own marathon murder trial last Thursday.
Dozens of members of the public have braved the cold to queue up outside (pictured) the courthouse very early each morning to get a front row seat in the courtroom.
Patterson, 50, is accused of murdering her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, after allegedly serving them a beef Wellington lunch made with death cap mushrooms.
Patterson is also accused of attempting to murder Heather's husband, pastor Ian Wilkinson, who survived the lunch after spending several weeks in an intensive care unit.
The court heard Patterson's estranged husband, Simon, was also invited to the gathering at her home in Leongatha, in Victoria's Gippsland region, but didn't attend.
Witnesses told the jury that Patterson ate her serving from a smaller, differently-coloured plate to those of her guests, who ate off four grey plates.
Patterson told authorities she bought dried mushrooms from an unnamed Asian store in the Monash area of Melbourne, but health inspectors could find no evidence of this.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
29 minutes ago
- The Independent
Key takeaways from the acquittal of Karen Read in her Boston police officer boyfriend's death
Karen Read walked out of court a free woman after more than three years and two trials over the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe, who was found on the lawn of a fellow officer's home after a night of heavy drinking. Prosecutors said Read hit O'Keefe with her SUV, leaving him to die in a blizzard, and charged her with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene of a deadly collision. Her lawyers successfully defended her, painting a sinister picture of police misconduct and theorizing that O'Keefe was in fact killed by colleagues, followed by a vast cover-up. She was convicted of drunken driving, however, for which she will face a year's probation. Though her criminal case is over, Read still faces civil litigation. O'Keefe's family has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against her and two bars where the couple drank that night. The two trials were filled with moments that raised reasonable doubt, both in the public's mind and, as illustrated by Wednesday's verdict, the minds of jurors. Here are some key takeaways: The defense theory: Crooked cops and 'the blue wall of silence' Defense lawyers asserted from the beginning that there was no collision between O'Keefe and the 6,000-pound (2,700-kilogram) SUV driven by Read, arguing instead that a crew of tightly knit local and state cops were shielding one of their own and framing her. Lead investigator Michael Proctor, who was fired from the Massachusetts State Police after the first trial for misconduct, knew some people at the party at the house outside of which O'Keefe was found. Proctor sent text messages to friends, family and co-workers calling Read a 'whack job' while implying that she was the lone suspect and he wanted her to pay. 'There will be some serious charges brought on the girl ... Zero chance she skates. She's f'd,' he texted just hours into the investigation. A federal agent who was at the party, Brian Higgins, acknowledged at trial destroying his phone and SIM card afterward and disposing of them in two different locations on a military base. In another exchange, Jackson questioned a former officer who originally reported seeing Higgins and the Canton police chief near the SUV in a station garage, a statement she later recanted. 'Have you ever heard of something called the blue wall of silence?' Jackson asked the officer. In closing arguments, he suggested that she changed her story under pressure from the department. What the evidence showed the jury The prosecution's evidence included pieces of Read's broken taillight that were recovered at the scene; accounts of the couple's crumbling relationship, fueled by booze; and several witnesses testifying that they heard her repeatedly say, 'I hit him.' But defense lawyers portrayed the case as riddled with errors, missteps and malfeasance. They emphasized that the taillight fragments were not found immediately and argued that police had time to take them from Read's impounded vehicle and plant them. They also presented video evidence that Read's taillight could have been damaged instead when she hit O'Keefe's car at home later that morning. The shards, which the state claimed cut into O'Keefe's arm, had no blood, tissue or DNA on them. The only DNA found was on an intact piece of taillight on Read's SUV, and it contained three possible sources — O'Keefe and two unknown males. A hair traced to O'Keefe was found on the rear of the SUV, but the defense questioned how it could have stayed there through the blizzard. Prosecutors also struggled to demonstrate that O'Keefe's injuries were consistent with being struck by a vehicle. They acknowledged not knowing how he was hit, and an accident reconstruction video they produced was panned by the defense since no one knows where he would have been standing. Meanwhile crash reconstruction experts testified for the defense that O'Keefe's injuries were inconsistent with being hit by a large vehicle. Instead, the defense argued, O'Keefe was beaten up at the party. Neither side produced witnesses who saw him enter into the house, but the defense was able to show a fight was possible. A medical expert testified that wounds on his arm were consistent with an animal bite, supporting the theory that a family dog at the home attacked O'Keefe. A cut over his right eye and injuries to the back of his head, they said, more likely came from being punched and falling backward on a hard surface. It was hard to know, defense attorneys argued, since police never searched the home or treated anyone there as a suspect. Even Read's comments about having 'hit him' were explained away by the defense, which said prosecutors were trying to twist into a confession the dazed words of someone who was grieving and in shock. 'It wasn't a confession. It was confusion,' Jackson said, noting that it is common to be in such a state after an emotional trauma. If Read didn't kill O'Keefe, who did? Any number of people at the home, defense lawyers suggested, while questioning why multiple key law enforcement witnesses were never considered potential suspects or investigated. The defense did not prove that someone else killed O'Keefe, but it was apparently able to create enough reasonable doubt for jurors. Higgins, the federal agent, had sent sexually charged and flirtatious text messages to Read despite knowing she was in a relationship with O'Keefe. On the night in question, Higgins texted her while they were at a bar — 'Umm, well?' he wrote. Moments later he was seen 'play fighting' with Brian Albert, a retired Boston police detective and the owner of the home where the party took place. They defense also pointed to a group text that morning in which one person suggested they all agree that O'Keefe never entered the home and Albert said, 'exactly.' Albert, the defense said, never bothered to exit the house after O'Keefe was found. He later sold it, got rid of the family dog and ditched his cellphone. They also portrayed the family as politically connected, noting that Albert's brother was a police officer and a second brother was on the town's governing body. The defense also questioned Jennifer McCabe, Albert's sister-in-law, who was with Read when they discovered the body, about a misspelled web search: 'hos long to die in cold.' The defense argued that McCabe made it just before 2:30 a.m., but prosecutors said it was after O'Keefe was found at Read's request. McCabe was also asked why she never went in the house after finding the body, suggesting that she already knew they were safe inside. No one from the home came outside as police and paramedics gathered. ___ See an AP Photo Gallery from Read's acquittal here.
Daily Mail
37 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
See how State of Origin star exposed troll on social media after copping disgraceful abuse like 'I hope you get charged with sexual assault'
NSW Blues star Liam Martin has exposed a troll on social media after the backrower was abused online following Queensland 's 26-24 win on Wednesday night in game two of the Origin series. Martin used an Instagram story to share the disgraceful comments, which included being labelled a 'ugly human' and hoping the four-time NRL premiership winner with Penrith 'gets accused of sexual assault.' The person who posted the vile message - known as Beau - also stated: 'You look like you don't wash your hair. You you [sic] are disgrace to rugby league.' Martin posted in response: 'Don't be like Beau.' His Origin teammate Zac Lomax was also reportedly targeted online. It comes just days after a man, 20, was charged by NSW Police for allegedly sending death threats and abusive messages to Newcastle Knights star James Schiller. Martin used an Instagram story (pictured) to share the disgraceful comments, which included being labelled a 'ugly human' and hoping the four-time premiership winner with Penrith 'gets accused of sexual assault' Schiller, 23, was targeted with a string of vile messages following his team's dramatic comeback win over Manly recently. The abuse came despite Newcastle pulling off their biggest turnaround in 18 years, recovering from a 16-0 halftime deficit to claim a 26-22 golden point victory at McDonald Jones Stadium on June 5. On social media, several accounts piled on, labelling Schiller 'one of the worst NRL players I've ever seen,' and claiming he 'wouldn't stand out for Taree Turtles reserve grade.' But one message crossed the line, and Schiller shared it publicly. 'Count your days c*** I will end your f***ing life,' the message read, sent to his Instagram inbox early in the second half. Even after the Knights sealed victory, the same account continued to abuse him and added some shocking homophobic comments involving former Queensland Origin star Dane Gagai. 'Doesn't make up for it even though you won. 5 errors, 2 penalties, 1 six again and partridge in a pear tree I hope Dane [Gagai] jams his c*** down your throat and you choke and die.' Schiller posted screenshots of the messages to his Instagram story, drawing attention to the darker side of fan behaviour at a time when mental health support for young men and athletes is being heavily promoted across the country. Abuse aimed at young NRL players (pictured) continues to spark debate around online behaviour and athlete mental health support Knights coach Adam O'Brien said the threats against Schiller were a concern. 'That is worrying,' he said. 'I want to protect for him to go through that over a couple of errors….it's a game of footy. 'He's got a family. That's partly the reason why you do want to protect them. 'I think it's a societal problem, isn't it? It's not just football players who are getting that sort of stuff. 'We need to be able to stop people doing it, change their thought process before doing it.' Lake Macquarie police have since arrested and charged a man over the matter. He was charged with use of carriage service to menace, harass or offend.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Horror as cat fur vests are discovered being sold at a popular shopping centre in Melbourne
A children's vest made from the skin of two cats being sold in a popular shopping centre in Melbourne has ignited calls for a crackdown on the sale of fur. A joint investigation by the Animal Justice Party and the Collective Fashion Justice party discovered the origin of the vest after the fur was tested in a lab. The jacket, likely to be made from the skin of two cats, as well as rabbits, was labelled as 100 per cent 'sheep skin'. The vests are being sold by the Suttons Ugg chain store. Two beanies with pom poms labelled as 100 per cent 'acrylic' were also tested, with the results revealing they were made from fox and raccoon dog fur. Animal Justice Party MP for Northern Victoria Georgie Purcell called for the sale of fur to be banned as she fronted reporters on Thursday. 'The message from the community couldn't be clearer – fur is out of fashion. Whether it's cat, dog, rabbit, or fox – the one constant is that it's all cruel,' she said. 'The time for regulation is done. The only thing left to do is to completely ban fur, just as other jurisdictions around the world have already done.'
