Jury in mushroom cook Erin Patterson's murder trial retires to deliberate verdict, after nine weeks of court in Victoria
The jury tasked with deciding the fate of mushroom cook Erin Patterson has retired to deliberate its verdict, as the murder trial draws to a close.
Justice Christopher Beale finished his directions to the jury on Monday, marking the start of the tenth week of the high-profile proceedings in the regional Victorian town of Morwell.
The 14-person panel was reduced to 12 jurors after two were balloted off shortly before lunchtime.
The jury, which must reach a unanimous verdict, will be sequestered as they deliberate, meaning they will not be able to return home until a decision is reached.
Ms Patterson is accused of murdering her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, as well as Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, by serving them a poisonous beef wellington lunch on July 29, 2023.
The 50-year-old is also accused of the attempted murder of Heather's husband and local church pastor Ian Wilkinson, who survived the meal after a lengthy stint in hospital.
Prosecutors allege Ms Patterson's beef wellington lunch, which was held at her house in Leongatha, was intentionally laced with death cap mushrooms.
Ms Patterson has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
The prosecution alleges Ms Patterson deliberately poisoned each of her lunch guests by intentionally serving them the meal with toxic mushrooms, a claim the defence has denied.
It is further alleged Ms Patterson concocted a cancer diagnosis to invite her guests over for lunch as she needed advice on how to break the medical news to her children.
Ms Patterson has accepted death caps were in the meal but denies the poisonings were intentional, with the defence describing the events of July 29 as a 'tragedy and a terrible accident'.
Delivering his closing remarks, Justice Beale reminded the jury that any verdict they reach must be unanimous in relation to each charge.
However, he said this requirement does not mean each juror must reach their verdict for the same reasons as they may rely on different evidence in the case to make their decision.
"Use your heads, not your hearts," Justice Beale told the jury.
It is not clear when a verdict is expected to be delivered.
"You will deliberate Mondays to Saturdays here at the court in the privacy of the jury room," the judge said.
The judge confirmed the jury will not deliberate on Sundays, but will remain sequestered.
Justice Beale reminded the jury that the prosecution has not suggested a motive, but carries the onus of proving Ms Patterson's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Ms Patterson faces three counts of murder in relation to Don and Gail Patterson, and Heather Wilkinson.
In order for Ms Patterson to be convicted of murder, the prosecution must prove all four of the following elements beyond a reasonable doubt. Ms Patterson caused the deaths of her three lunch guests by serving them a poisoned meal Ms Patterson's alleged conduct was conscious, voluntary and deliberate At the time of the alleged conduct, Ms Patterson intended to kill or cause really serious injury to the deceased Ms Patterson killed the deceased without lawful justification or excuse
In order for Ms Patterson to be found guilty of the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, the jury must be satisfied of the following four elements beyond a reasonable doubt. Ms Patterson consciously, voluntarily and deliberately served Mr Wilkinson a poisoned meal Ms Patterson's alleged conduct was more than merely preparatory to killing Mr Wilkinson, and immediately and not remotely connected with killing Mr Wilkinson At the time of the alleged conduct, Ms Patterson intended to kill Mr Wilkinson Ms Patterson's alleged conduct had no lawful justification or excuse
The trial is being heard in the Latrobe Valley courthouse precinct in Morwell, about 154 kilometres from Melbourne.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
7NEWS
9 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Black tarp put up around Erin Patterson's Leongatha home in Victoria as jury starts deliberations
Black plastic sheets have been put up around Erin Patterson's Victorian home, where the fatal lunch was held almost two years ago. 7NEWS can exclusively reveal that supporters of Patterson erected the tarps in the past couple of days. The plastic blocks any eye access from the road to the car port, the verandah and the front door. There's only one gap left for a car to park in. On Monday, 12 jurors started deliberating whether Patterson intended to murder her lunch guests when she served them death cap mushroom laced-beef Wellingtons. The Victorian Supreme Court jury was sent out about 1pm after hearing nine weeks of evidence, lawyers' arguments and judge's directions. Patterson denies intentionally poisoning her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, Gail's sister Heather and Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson. Don, Gail and Heather all died after consuming the beef Wellington lunch on July 29, 2023, while Ian survived. During his five days of directions, known as a charge, Justice Christopher Beale outlined evidence in the case and the arguments from both sides. On Monday, he told jurors that prosecutors did not have to prove Patterson had a motive to prove their case beyond reasonable doubt. But Justice Beale said they could consider the lack of motive in Patterson's favour when assessing whether she had an intention to kill. Intention was one element of the murder charges that was in dispute, so jurors needed to consider whether the lunch host wanted to kill or cause really serious injury to her guests, the judge said.
Sky News AU
10 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Jury in mushroom cook Erin Patterson's murder trial retires to deliberate verdict, after nine weeks of court in Victoria
The jury tasked with deciding the fate of mushroom cook Erin Patterson has retired to deliberate its verdict, as the murder trial draws to a close. Justice Christopher Beale finished his directions to the jury on Monday, marking the start of the tenth week of the high-profile proceedings in the regional Victorian town of Morwell. The 14-person panel was reduced to 12 jurors after two were balloted off shortly before lunchtime. The jury, which must reach a unanimous verdict, will be sequestered as they deliberate, meaning they will not be able to return home until a decision is reached. Ms Patterson is accused of murdering her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, as well as Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, by serving them a poisonous beef wellington lunch on July 29, 2023. The 50-year-old is also accused of the attempted murder of Heather's husband and local church pastor Ian Wilkinson, who survived the meal after a lengthy stint in hospital. Prosecutors allege Ms Patterson's beef wellington lunch, which was held at her house in Leongatha, was intentionally laced with death cap mushrooms. Ms Patterson has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. The prosecution alleges Ms Patterson deliberately poisoned each of her lunch guests by intentionally serving them the meal with toxic mushrooms, a claim the defence has denied. It is further alleged Ms Patterson concocted a cancer diagnosis to invite her guests over for lunch as she needed advice on how to break the medical news to her children. Ms Patterson has accepted death caps were in the meal but denies the poisonings were intentional, with the defence describing the events of July 29 as a 'tragedy and a terrible accident'. Delivering his closing remarks, Justice Beale reminded the jury that any verdict they reach must be unanimous in relation to each charge. However, he said this requirement does not mean each juror must reach their verdict for the same reasons as they may rely on different evidence in the case to make their decision. "Use your heads, not your hearts," Justice Beale told the jury. It is not clear when a verdict is expected to be delivered. "You will deliberate Mondays to Saturdays here at the court in the privacy of the jury room," the judge said. The judge confirmed the jury will not deliberate on Sundays, but will remain sequestered. Justice Beale reminded the jury that the prosecution has not suggested a motive, but carries the onus of proving Ms Patterson's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Ms Patterson faces three counts of murder in relation to Don and Gail Patterson, and Heather Wilkinson. In order for Ms Patterson to be convicted of murder, the prosecution must prove all four of the following elements beyond a reasonable doubt. Ms Patterson caused the deaths of her three lunch guests by serving them a poisoned meal Ms Patterson's alleged conduct was conscious, voluntary and deliberate At the time of the alleged conduct, Ms Patterson intended to kill or cause really serious injury to the deceased Ms Patterson killed the deceased without lawful justification or excuse In order for Ms Patterson to be found guilty of the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, the jury must be satisfied of the following four elements beyond a reasonable doubt. Ms Patterson consciously, voluntarily and deliberately served Mr Wilkinson a poisoned meal Ms Patterson's alleged conduct was more than merely preparatory to killing Mr Wilkinson, and immediately and not remotely connected with killing Mr Wilkinson At the time of the alleged conduct, Ms Patterson intended to kill Mr Wilkinson Ms Patterson's alleged conduct had no lawful justification or excuse The trial is being heard in the Latrobe Valley courthouse precinct in Morwell, about 154 kilometres from Melbourne.
West Australian
11 hours ago
- West Australian
Erin Patterson verdict: Jury deliberating in alleged mushroom killer's triple murder beef Wellington trial
Erin Patterson, the alleged mushroom killer, will soon learn her fate in the triple murder trial over deaths arising from her death cap mushroom, beef Wellington lunch. The trial, coming out of the usually quiet regional Victorian town of Morwell, has made global headlines, truly becoming a case that fascinated the world. The Crown argues that Ms Patterson intentionally put death cap mushrooms in the meal, while the accused's defence argues that it was a tragic accident. Now in its 10th week, Justice Christopher Beale has delivered his final remarks from his charge, now tasking the jury to deliberate and reach a verdict. The lunch on July 29, 2023, was served by Ms Patterson at her Leongatha home to in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister and her husband, Heather and Ian Wilkinson. Only the accused and Mr Wilkinson survived. It was a 'special' lunch, the accused admitted in court, to thank her family and spend time with them amid concerns of growing distance from her separation with former partner Simon Patterson, Don and Gail's parents. The evidence the jury will now focus on includes the accused's court testimony, where she detailed a history of lies that she told, including ones about illness that she didn't have and the ownership and use of a food dehydrator. However, Justice Beale has warned the jury that those lies may not be enough to find Ms Patterson guilty. 'That is not to say just because you find she lied about one matter that she lied about everything else,' he told the jury. 'It is for you to decide what significance to give these alleged lies.' Ms Patterson has pleaded not guilty and denies intentionally killing her lunch guests with a death cap mushroom beef Wellington. The court has been told that Ms Patterson had an interest in mushrooms, something that she says developed around the time of the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. It has also heard about her 'experiments', where the accused was dehydrating mushrooms, testing out different timings to see how long was needed to remove moisture. Ms Patterson told the court how she would put mushrooms that she found and dehydrated into a blender, reducing them to a dust that she could 'hide' in food. She says she did this to give her children more vegetables. Evidence of internet records has been shown to the jury that indicated devices connected to Ms Patterson had accessed maps that showed the location of death cap mushrooms in Victoria. Ms Patterson denies foraging for death cap mushrooms, instead suggesting that they likely came from an Asian grocer in Melbourne, where she purchased a pungent-smelling fungi, which she fears made it into the meal. Ian Wilkinson, the sole-surviving lunch guest, has accused Ms Patterson of using a coloured plate system to distinguish which meal was given to which guest at the fatal lunch, something the accused denied. He claims that Ms Patterson told her lunch guests that she had cancer, something she denies. The alleged mushroom murderer doesn't deny insinuating that she was unwell with a fabricated illness, stopping short of agreeing that she said 'cancer', something she claims she did to cover for weight-loss surgery she claims she was planning on having. After the lunch, Ms Patterson went on with her day-to-day life, despite claiming to be suffering from a violent gastrointestinal illness before she decided that she needed to go to the hospital. By that time, Don and Gail Patterson, along with Heather and Ian Wilkinson, were already in the hospital, with medical staff working on the suspicion that they were suffering from death cap mushroom poisoning. Ms Patterson claims she told staff that she had purchased mushrooms from her local Woolworths and used them in the lunch, but didn't share that she had an interest in mushrooms, that she experimented with dehydrating mushrooms, or that dehydrated mushrooms that she had picked were in her home. It is a secret that Ms Patterson kept for some time. After being treated and discharged from the hospital, she returned to her home and disposed of her food dehydrator, taking it to a tip, concealed in a bag, and throwing it on a pile of rubbish. Ms Patterson later admitted she had disposed of the dehydrator because she was worried it might tie her death cap mushroom poisoning of her lunch guests, something she feared could have her children removed from her. On Monday, the 14 person jury was reduced to 12 in a random ballot. Jurors then retired to commence their deliberation. The court has told media and curious on-lookers that once a verdict has been reached, there will be little notice provided before court resumes.
