3 d. ago Absence of motive evidence counts in Erin Patterson’s favour, jury told, as deliberations begin

Jurors retire to consider verdicts in triple murder trial over beef wellington lunch that contained death cap mushroomsWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?The jury has started deliberations in the triple murder trial of Erin Patterson at the Latrobe Valley law courts in Morwell.Justice Christopher Beale completed his charge or directions to the jury on Monday. Continue reading...

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3 d. ago A jury is deciding the fate of an Australian woman accused of 3 murders by mushroom poisoning

A jury in Australia began deliberations Monday in the triple murder trial of Erin Patterson, accused of killing her estranged husband’s relatives by deliberately serving them poisonous mushrooms for lunch

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3 d. ago Erin Patterson jury begins deliberations as mushroom lunch trial enters 10th week

Jurors retire to consider verdicts in triple murder trial over beef wellington lunch that contained death cap mushroomsWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?The jury has started deliberations in the triple murder trial of Erin Patterson at the Latrobe Valley law courts in Morwell.Justice Christopher Beale completed his charge or directions to the jury on Monday. Continue reading...

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7 d. ago Australia mushroom trial live: Erin Patterson jury to begin deliberations after judge’s charge concludes on Monday

Victorian woman, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one of attempted murder over a fatal mushroom lunch in 2023. Follow liveBeale turns to Patterson’s evidence about the dried mushrooms.He says Patterson said she realised on 2 August 2023 that she may have put foraged mushrooms in a Tupperware container including store-bought mushrooms that she used in the beef wellington. Continue reading...

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7 d. ago Australia mushroom trial live: judge’s charge to Erin Patterson jury continues on day 38

Victorian woman, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one of attempted murder over a fatal mushroom lunch in 2023. Follow liveBeale turns to Patterson’s second alleged incriminating conduct - lying about where the dried mushrooms used in the beef wellingtons.The prosecution has labelled certain conduct as incriminating, meaning it is an implied admission of guilt, the court has heard. The defence has argued there are other innocent explanations for the conduct the prosecution relies on Continue reading...

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8 d. ago The mushroom murder trial: Bizarre case of a woman accused of killing her ex

Erin Patterson is on trial in Australia over the deaths of her estranged partner’s parents and aunt, Rachel Clun writes

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8 d. ago Australia mushroom trial live: judge’s charge to Erin Patterson jury continues on day 37

Victorian woman, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one of attempted murder over a fatal mushroom lunch in 2023. Follow liveWe’re waiting for the jury to enter the court room in Morwell.In the meantime, here’s how the trial played out last week during closing submissions: Continue reading...

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9 d. ago Australia mushroom murder trial judge tells jury to ignore lies in reaching verdict

Justice Christopher Beale tells jurors they must decide whether Erin Patterson is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt: ‘This is a court of law, not a court of morals’

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9 d. ago Australia mushroom lunch trial live: Erin Patterson’s lies must not cause jury to ‘be prejudiced against her’, judge says

Victorian woman, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one of attempted murder following a fatal mushroom lunch in Leongatha in 2023. Follow liveBeale turns to Patterson’s evidence. He says Patterson had no obligation to give evidence in her trial.He says Patterson does not need to prove her innocence. Continue reading...

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1 week ago Accidental foraging, reasonable doubt and ‘lies upon lies’: Erin Patterson jury hears week of closing submissions in triple

Jurors must find accused not guilty if ‘reasonable possibility’ mushroom poisoning was an accident, defence says, while prosecution points to ‘calculated deception’What the Erin Patterson jury heard in the eighth week of her triple-murder trialColin Mandy SC, Erin Patterson’s barrister in her triple-murder trial, was into the final minute of a closing submission that spanned three days when he started repeating one phrase, almost like a mantra, over and over.It was the last time the jury would hear from anyone in the case other than Justice Christopher Beale, a coda after the prosecution’s closing argument and evidence from more than 50 witnesses. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Australia mushroom trial live: ‘Absurd’ and ‘illogical’ propositions disputed as Erin Patterson’s defence concludes

Accused, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder over a beef wellington lunch she served to in-lawsDefence turns to argument about children being testedMandy turns to the prosecution’s argument about Patterson’s reluctance to have her children medically tested. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Australia mushroom trial live: ‘Absurd’ and ‘illogical’ propositions refuted as Erin Patterson’s defence concludes

Accused, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder over a beef wellington lunch she served to in-lawsDefence turns to argument about children being testedMandy turns to the prosecution’s argument about Patterson’s reluctance to have her children medically tested. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Australia mushroom trial live: Erin Patterson would have dumped or reset main phone if she had planned ‘cold, calculated murders’

Accused, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder over a beef wellington lunch she served to in-lawsDefence turns to argument about children being testedMandy turns to the prosecution’s argument about Patterson’s reluctance to have her children medically tested. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Australia mushroom trial live: defence set to conclude closing address in murder trial of Erin Patterson

Accused, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder over a beef wellington lunch she served to in-lawsMandy says the prosecution argued Patterson’s phone records showed she did not simply go home and then return to the hospital after she discharged herself.Prosecution said the records were consistent with Paterson travelling south-west of Leongatha. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Erin Patterson thought cancer lie ‘would die’ with lunch guests, prosecution says

Prosecution in Erin Patterson’s triple-murder trial outlined four deceptions at the heart of their case

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2 w. ago Erin Patterson trial hears of ‘four calculated deceptions’ at heart of mushroom lunch case as closing address begins

Prosecutor also tells court Patterson lied about cancer to lunch guests because she thought ‘her lie would die with them’Erin Patterson trial LIVEWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom trial?Four calculated deceptions are at the heart of Erin Patterson’s triple-murder case, the prosecution has claimed in its closing address to the jury, including a lie about cancer the accused hoped would “die with” her lunch guests.On Monday, Nanette Rogers SC spent day 32 of the trial closing the prosecution case, outlining these four deceptions: Patterson’s fabricated cancer claim; the “lethal doses” of death cap mushrooms “secreted” in home-cooked beef wellingtons; Patterson’s attempts to make it seem she also suffered death cap mushroom poisoning; and the “sustained cover-up she embarked upon to conceal the truth”.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Australia mushroom trial live: Erin Patterson intended to kill lunch guests and thought cancer lie ‘would die with them’, prosecution says

Victorian woman, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one of attempted murder following a fatal beef wellington lunch in Leongatha in 2023. Follow liveTears, disagreements and dried mushrooms: how Erin Patterson responded over eight days in the witness boxWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom trial?Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastRogers says Patterson chose the meal for the lunch and was responsible for selecting the ingredients.Rogers says the recipe from the RecipeTin Eats book, which Patterson told police she used for the beef wellington did not call for “multiple individual” pasties. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Tears, disagreements and dried mushrooms: how Erin Patterson responded over eight days in the witness box

Triple murder accused finishes giving evidence in seventh week of mushroom lunch trialWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom trial?It was 12.40pm on Thursday, and Erin Patterson was striding from the witness box to the dock.“Just wait there, Ms Patterson,” Justice Christopher Beale said.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

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3 w. ago Erin Patterson denies all charges as triple murder trial testimony concludes

Accused maintains fatal mushroom lunch unintentional

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3 w. ago Australia mushroom trial live: evidence concludes in Erin Patterson’s triple murder trial after weeks of testimony from witnesses

Victorian woman, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one of attempted murder after a fatal beef wellington lunch in Leongatha in 2023. Follow liveWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom trial?Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastProsecutor Nanette Rogers SC turns to evidence about factory resets performed on the mobile referred to as “Phone B”. The court previously heard four resets – one in February 2023 and three in August 2023 – were performed on the phone that Erin Patterson provided to police during the search on 5 August 2023. Rogers says one of these resets were done when she was left alone to call a lawyer while police searched Patterson’s Leongatha home. Patterson rejects this and says she phoned a lawyer at 2pm. Rogers says Patterson performed the three factory resets after the lunch to “conceal” the contents on Phone B. Patterson rejects this. Rogers then turns to her final points in the cross-ex...

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