Tuesday, April 29, 2025 - The trial of Erin Patterson, who is accused of murder!ng her in-laws by serving them a lunch laced with de@th cap mushrooms, has begun in
Australia.
Patterson, 50, faces three charges of murder and one charge
of attempted murd£r relating to a beef Wellington lunch she served at her house
in South Gippsland in 2023.
The 15-member jury in the Supreme Court trial was empaneled
on Tuesday.
Patterson has pleaded not guilty to murdering or attempting
to murder the relatives of her estranged husband, Simon Patterson.
She is accused of murdering Simon’s parents, Don and Gail
Patterson, his aunt Heather Wilkinson, and attempting to murder Ian Wilkinson,
Simon’s uncle and Heather’s husband.
Opening submissions in the case are expected to be made on
Wednesday by Nanette Rogers SC, the prosecutor, and Patterson’s lawyer Colin
Mandy SC.
Justice Christopher Beale said in his instructions to the
jury that Patterson was no longer accused of attempting to murder her estranged
husband.
He told the jury those charges had been discontinued, and that they should
remove any consideration of these previous charges.
The panel is made up of 10 men and five women. Three of them
are reserve jurors, with only 12 deciding on a verdict. The verdict must be
unanimous.
Beale said that if the jurors happened to be watching
television news and came across a story about the case, they should change the
channel, and should similarly ignore it if they came across it in a newspaper
or online.
“It’s your duty to decide this case only based on that
evidence. You must ignore all other considerations,” he said.
“You must dismiss all prejudices or sympathies you may have
… your duty is to consider the evidence using your head, not your heart.
“You must completely ignore anything you have seen or heard
in the media, including social media … about this case, and the people involved
in it.”
Beale explained types of evidence, using an analogy about
whether it was raining outside to outline the difference between direct and
circumstantial evidence: someone who said he had seen or heard rain, as opposed
to someone who witnessed a person carrying a wet coat or umbrella.
He also explained the onus was on the prosecution to prove
its case beyond reasonable doubt.
“Ms Patterson does not have to prove anything. That never
changes from start to finish,” he said.
“It’s not for her to demonstrate her innocence, but for the prosecution to
prove the charges they have brought against her.
“It’s not enough for the prosecution to prove the accused is probably
guilty, or very likely to be guilty.”
He said that in order for Patterson to be found guilty of murder the
prosecution had to prove four elements beyond reasonable doubt: that Patterson
caused the death of the alleged victim, that she did so consciously,
voluntarily and deliberately, that she did so intending to kill, or to cause
really serious injury, and that she did so without any lawful justification or
excuse.
Beale drew a laugh from the jury when he said that some members of the
public may consider them “pretty slack” for only sitting from 10.30am to
4.15pm, with a break for lunch and two shorter breaks.
“But as the trial goes on I think you’ll find it pretty demanding,” he
said.
Beale ended his directions with a final warning: “Shut down any
conversations with anybody, family, friends, who want to know more”.
The trial in Morwell continues on Wednesday.
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