Mushroom cook Erin Patterson has been found guilty of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder over the deadly beef Wellington lunch in 2023 that made headlines across the globe, and now faces a sentence of up to life in prison.
After about a week of deliberations following the mammoth 10-week trial, the jury of 12 today returned a unanimous verdict on all four counts this afternoon, finding Patterson guilty of murdering in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, and also of attempting to murder Ian Wilkinson.
Patterson had pleaded not guilty to all charges, and the 50-year-old mother blinked but appeared emotionless as four guilty verdicts were read out by the jury’s foreperson to a full courtroom of onlookers.
AS IT HAPPENED: Jury delivers verdicts in Erin Patterson trial
Wearing a paisley blouse, the 50-year-old mother sat silently between two custody officers as the word “guilty” was read out four times.
The case has made headlines around the world and been the focus of multiple international podcasts.
Images shown to jury released to public
During the long-running trial, images that had been shown to the jury were not publicly released.
However, after the four guilty verdicts were delivered and the jurors discharged, the Victorian Supreme Court released a series of exhibits that had been used during the trial.
They include several pictures of the death cap mushroom-laced beef Wellingtons, and images of Patterson at Monash Hospital following the lunch, where she was taken after presenting with what she claimed was diarrhea.
Also released was CCTV of Patterson dumping a dehydrator at Koonawarra waste station hours after leaving hospital.
Prosecution’s extensive case to prove poisoning was deliberate
Doctors confirmed Patterson’s in-laws and Heather Wilkinson all suffered death cap mushroom poisoning, dying in hospital days after eating the poisoned beef Wellington at her home back in July 2023.
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Heather’s husband Ian was the only surviving lunch guest.
The families of the victims, and Mr Wilkinson, who attended every day of the trial in regional Victoria, were not in court for the verdicts today.
Patterson’s friend, Ali Rose Prior, walked through dozens of national and international media waiting outside court after the verdicts.
She told awaiting media she was “saddened” by the verdicts, but “it is what it is”.
“I didn’t have any expectations, it’s the justice system and it has to be what it is,” she told reporters outside the Latrobe Valley courts in Morwell.
Prior, who attended the entire trial, confirmed Patterson had told her “see you soon” and that she would visit her friend in prison.
Patterson, who took the stand for eight days during her trial, had pleaded not guilty and claimed she had not intentionally poisoned her lunch guests with individual beef Wellington parcels, at her Leongatha home on July 29, 2023.
The parcels were found to have had toxic death cap mushrooms inside them.
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Patterson took to the witness box herself for eight days during the trial and claimed she had eaten the same meal but threw up the remnants soon after.
She said the deaths were a terrible accident, and admitted she may have accidentally included foraged mushrooms in the meal, despite lying about this to police when she was first interviewed.
“They tasted good and I didn’t get sick,” she told the jury, about preparing and eating wild fungi for the first time in 2020.
Meanwhile, prosecutors laid out an extensive circumstantial case to prove the poisoning event was deliberate.
This included evidence from sole lunch survivor Ian Wilkinson, who said Patterson had served individual beef Wellingtons to her guests on different plates to her own.
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The prosecution accused Patterson of telling a series of lies to cover up the murders, including to doctors, nurses and toxicologists while they were trying to identify why her lunch guests were sick and save their lives at hospital.
She also lied about mushroom foraging police to public health investigators, who were searching to find the source of poisonous mushrooms after Patterson claimed they may have been from an Asian store.
Footage of Patterson dumping the dehydrator at a tip was shown to the jury, along with photos she took of mushrooms drying inside it.
After hearing nine weeks of evidence from more than 50 witnesses, a jury of 14 was whittled down to 12 who retired to deliberate on their verdicts one week ago, on June 30.
They had been sequestered in a hotel during their deliberations, and only permitted one day off on Sunday.
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The courtroom fell silent as the foreperson read out four guilty verdicts and convicted Patterson of all offences.
Justice Christopher Beale thanked the jury for their service and gave them dispensation from serving on another jury for 15 years.
“You’ve been an exceptional jury, the way you’ve conducted yourself throughout this trial has caught my attention,” he said.
He said even though the trial had been a “major intrusion” on their lives, they had been in good spirits throughout the trial.
Patterson faces a sentence of up to life in prison, and will return to court for a pre-sentence hearing later this year.
In a statement released following the verdicts being handed down, Victorian Police said it would continue to support the victims’ families.
“Our thoughts are with the respective families at this time and we acknowledge how difficult these past two years have been for them,” a spokesperson said.
“We will continue to support them in every way possible following this decision.
“We would also like to acknowledge the work of homicide squad detectives over the course of this complex investigation, as well as the significant support received from a number of other areas across Victoria Police.”
– Reported with AAP
