The jury in the notable murder case involving an Australian woman accused of preparing a deadly mushroom meal for her relatives has recessed to determine her guilt. Erin Patterson, aged 50, has pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one of attempted murder concerning a beef Wellington lunch hosted at her home in Leongatha, regional Victoria, in July 2023. Prosecutors allege that Patterson intentionally included toxic death cap mushrooms in the meal and then deceived the police and disposed of evidence. The defense counters that Patterson’s inclusion of the poisonous mushrooms was unintentional, and her dishonesty was a panic response after she realized she had harmed those she loved.
Ms. Patterson’s in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, aged 70, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, aged 66, fell ill and passed away after the lunch. Heather’s husband, local pastor Ian Wilkinson, survived after being in an induced coma. The accused’s estranged husband, Simon Patterson, had been invited but withdrew his attendance the day before. Justice Christopher Beale concluded his instructions to the 14-member jury on Monday, ending a trial of nearly two months with over 50 witnesses. A ballot selected the final 12 jurors to deliberate.
During closing arguments, prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC contended that Ms. Patterson’s numerous lies were evidence of her guilt, including her fabricated cancer diagnosis to entice relatives to attend, her poisoning of them, and her subsequent creation of an illness to cover up her actions. Despite the absence of a clear motive, Dr. Rogers argued that the prosecution’s version of events was convincing. The defense, however, emphasized the lack of motive and Ms. Patterson’s close relationship with her in-laws, insisting she had no reason to kill them. Ms. Patterson maintains that she inadvertently used a mixture of store-bought and foraged mushrooms and explained her sickness as a result of bulimia, which caused her to self-induce vomiting after the meal.
Her defense also clarified that the lie about cancer was due to her embarrassment about planned weight-loss surgery and her failure to disclose her foraging hobby because she feared being blamed for her relatives’ illness. Defence lawyer Colin Mandy SC accused the prosecution of manipulating evidence to fit their narrative and instructed the jury not to convict simply based on Ms. Patterson’s dishonesty, asserting that lies do not necessarily indicate guilt. Justice Beale reminded the jury that they are the sole judges of fact, urging them to consider the evidence without emotional influence.
The jury has been sequestered, meaning they will reside in supervised accommodations with limited outside contact until they reach a verdict.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn86y31vql5o
