On Monday, a jury in Australia found a woman guilty of killing my father’s scattered husband and her aunt using the permitted beef in the toxic mushrooms, and her rule rules weeks of the deposits of the courtroom in a case that acquired the country and made the headlines around the world.
Erine Patterson, who was convicted of the charges, and described the defense team as a “terrible accident.”
Here all you need to know:
What happened?
On July 29, 2023, Patterson hosted its previous foals lunch At her home in Lyongotha, Town, 135 km (84 miles) southeast of Melbourne, in Victoria, southeast Australia.
Among her guests is her mother -in -law, Gil Patterson; The father of her husband, Donald Patterson; Generation sister, Heather Wilkenson; Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkenson. Her separate husband, Simon Patterson, rejected the invitation.
Patterson, 50, has served her guests, individual beef and Lingon, which is a baked meat slice where the beef is wrapped in the mushroom paste and puff pastry, with mashed potatoes and green beans on the side. Patterson eating cow meat and Lington, too.
The four guests fell ill in hours of eating the meal and were taken to the hospital. Gail, Donald and Hadda died, while Ian survived after spending weeks in a convenient coma. Gail and Donald were 70 years old at the time of their death, while Heather was 66 years old. Patterson’s defense attorneys have also argued that she also got sick after lunch, and provided the results of the medical test as a guide. Discover later that Wellingtons was made of toxic mushrooms for death.
Prosecutors said that Patterson had separated from Simon, but the two remained friendly after that. Patterson gave birth to two children with Simon, who were also present at home during lunch, but he did not eat Wellingtons.
Patterson has been arrested in November 2023 and has been in reservation since then. She was accused of killing Gail, Donald and Hadda, along with an attempt to kill Ian. These accusations carry a life sentence.
What did the jury announced – and what about the ruling?
The jury was isolated last week, where they discussed and traded on a decision. On Monday morning, it became clear that they reached a ruling:
- A guilty, on the three murder charges – regarding the three people who were killed.
- A comet, on charges of trying to kill Ian Wilkenson.
The judge has not announced the date of the ruling, but this will be the next stage in legal procedures.
What is the fungus Cap Death?
Amanita Valwidis, known as death caps, is the most bloody types of mushrooms for humans. Mushrooms are small, normal, yellow, or brown, appearing like many types of other -non -edible mushrooms. While this type is a citizen of Europe, this mushroom is also present in North America and Australia, and it usually grows under oak trees.
It contains toxins that prevent the production of DNA, which leads to kidney and liver failure. If the individual consumes this mushroom, the initial symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea begin to appear within six and 12 hours.
All parts of the mushroom are toxic, and their cut or cooking does not get rid of toxins. One mushroom is enough to kill an adult.
What happened during the trial?
The trial of the jury Opened on April 29 This year in the LaTrop Valley Court, it is located in the former town of Morwell, Victoria, Victoria. Judge Christopher Bell heads the case. Patterson’s relatives and friends witnessed during the trial.
Pursuit
The prosecution is led by Nanit Rogers, the defender who accused Patterson of fodder in the toxic mushrooms, using the kitchen scale for the fatigue of the dead dose and adding it to Bivance to its guests, not. Rogers also referred to how Patterson lied to the police when I was asked whether she was abandoning mushrooms or owned the food dryer.
The police found a food dryer in the landfill near the Patterson house, where the traces of the mushroom mushroom were found.
The prosecution also found that Patterson looked at the website of a website for the mushroom material.
Ian certificate
The only survivor of the accident, Ian, witnessed On the sixth day of the trial.
Ian, a 71 -year -old sponsor, told trial that on lunch, Patterson seemed “hesitant” to allow her guests to go inside her store. Ian said: “Hayather and Jill were exposed to helping food. The offer was rejected.”
Ian said that he and his wife have suffered from vomiting and diarrhea that night, but they rejected the symptoms as inflammation of the digestive system.
Defense
Patterson’s defense is led by lawyer Colin Mandy, who told the trial that Patterson had no intention to kill her guests. However, the defense did not deny the presence of death caps in meals.
Mandy said that Patterson was panic and lying about the mushroom feed for the police. He said: “I felt panic when she faced terrible possibility, terrible awareness, that her actions caused the illness of the people you love.”
He also added that Patterson fell ill from the same meal and did not visit its symptoms, which claims the claim. Mandy told the trial, “She was not a patient like other lunch guests, and she did not represent her.” He added that the results of the blood test show the indicators of the disease “cannot be fake” like low potassium levels and high hemoglobin.
Patterson also revealed that she ate a smaller part of the meal in lunch and retreated on an orange cake brought by Jil Patterson to share it, after he left the guests. Patterson witnessed that after eating about two -thirds of the cake, she threw, which, if it is true, may explain the reason for the presence of lower levels of toxins than the wig of the beef meat more than others.
Since her arrest in November 2023, Patterson has maintained her innocence and acknowledged that she was not guilty of all charges. She believes that poisoning was a “terrible accident.”
Mandy told the experiment that Patterson developed an interest in fodder during Covid-19 insurance in 2020, and it was not customary to collect knowledge about the Cap Death mushroom.
Motive
“You don’t have to be satisfied with the motivation or even there is one,” Rogers told the jury on April 30.
“The prosecution will not suggest that there is a special motivation to do what I did.”
Rogers also presented messages sent by Patterson to friends on Facebook, expressing her frustration with not participating in her son -in -law in a conflict of supporting the child between her and Simon.
In December 2022, she wrote: “I am tired of this matter I don’t want to do anything with them. I thought his parents wanted to do the right thing, but it seems that their concern about the lack of relief and the unwillingness to participate in their personal affairs that personal matters are overcome.”
In another message, she wrote: “This family swears by God.”
When Mandy Patterson asked about her feeling about these messages, she said: “I wish I never said it … I am ashamed to say, and I hope the family will not have to hear it. They do not deserve it.”
What do we know about the jury?
The jury was reduced from 14 members of 12 with the polling, which will decide the ruling.
On July 1, Judge Bell urged jury to put emotions and sympathy aside during the return of the ruling.
“The case is not whether it was somewhat responsible for the tragic consequences of lunch, but whether the prosecution has undoubtedly proven that it is a criminal official,” Bell said. “Emotions, such as bias and sympathy, should not have a role in your decision.”
Judge Bell also requested jurors to refrain from searching the case or discussing it outside the courtroom. There were initially 15 jurors, but one of them was refused last month to discuss the case with friends and family.
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