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Over the course of 10 weeks, the jury heard from more than 50 witnesses, including lunch survivor Ian Wilkinson and accused killer Erin Patterson, who chose to give evidence in her trial.
They also heard evidence from medical experts, government workers, scientists and Patterson’s family and friends, including her two children.
The prosecution accused Patterson of intentionally seeking and adding death cap mushrooms to her meal, after falling out with her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, following her separation from her husband, Simon, turned nasty.
Defence consel Colin Mandy, SC, outside court on Tuesday.Credit: Jason South
Prosecutors argued the mother of two used a fake cancer diagnosis to lure her guests to the lunch on July 29, 2023, before serving them poisonous individual parcels of beef Wellington and engaging in a sustained cover-up campaign to “conceal the truth”, which included dumping a food dehydrator at a tip and handing a “dummy phone” to police.
Patterson’s defence barrister, Colin Mandy, SC, told the jury the prosecution had cherry-picked convenient fragments of evidence while discarding inconvenient truths.
Mandy argued that just because Patterson lied, this did not make her a murderer, and reminded the jury the accused woman was not on trial for lying.
He said Patterson’s relationship with her in-laws was one of love and care, and that tension between them over child support payments was an aberration in an otherwise respectful relationship.
