Erin Patterson trial: Jury indicates verdicts to judge in mushroom murder case
It took just three minutes for 12 jurors to enter the Latrobe Valley courtroom, deliver unanimous verdicts and leave. But a key sign as the group entered showed Erin Patterson what was coming.
Standing flanked by two burly guards in the dock at 2.15pm as the dozen Victorians returned to the court for the first time in more than a week, Patterson tried to meet their eyes.
But as each of the seven men and five women took their seat, none would match her gaze.
Justice Beale's associate then asked the foreperson, a woman wearing a brown cardigan, if they had agreed on verdicts.
'Yes we have,' she said, before softly pronouncing 'guilty' four times for the three murder and one attempted murder charges.
Ms Patterson, 50, faced trial after pleading not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder stemming from a lunch she hosted at her Leongatha home, in southeast Victoria, on July 29, 2023.
The mother-of-two served a beef wellington meal to four members of her husband Simon Patterson's family containing death cap mushrooms.
Ms Patterson has maintained she did not intend to harm Simon Patterson's family. Picture: Supplied.
Simon's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, died from death cap poisoning in the week following the lunch while Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson, survived.
Prosecutors alleged Ms Patterson deliberately sought out and included the deadly fungi in the lunch intending to kill or at least seriously injure her guests.
Her defence, on the other hand, have argued the poisoning was an unintentional and tragic accident – questioning why Ms Patterson would want to kill her loved ones.
Don and Gail Patterson died a day apart in early August 2023. Picture: Supplied
Over eight weeks of evidence, jurors in the trial heard from more that 50 witnesses, including family, doctors, experts and Ms Patterson herself.
The jury, of eight men and five women, were sent out to deliberate shortly after 1pm on Monday when they were told any verdict must be unanimous.
It has been 7 days since they were sent out.
Over the course of their deliberations, jurors are being sequestered at a hotel and have limited contact with the outside world having handed over their phones.
In his final remarks, Justice Beale said they would be deliberating Mondays to Saturdays and given as long as it takes.
Originally published as Erin Patterson trial: Moment Erin realised jury would find her guilty
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