Overview

• Erin Patterson is charged with three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder for allegedly serving beef Wellington laced with death cap mushrooms to her in-laws and aunt at her Leongatha home on July 29, 2023.
• Prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC told jurors Patterson deliberately sourced and added death cap mushrooms to the meal, while defence counsel Colin Mandy SC maintains their presence was a tragic accident.
• Mandy argued that Patterson’s lies about a cancerous lump and her mushroom-foraging history do not prove intent to kill and warned against using hindsight to judge her decisions.
• The defence has questioned witness reliability, challenging Patterson’s son’s recollections of her condition the next morning and the extent of expert mushroom testimony.
• Once closing submissions finish, Justice Christopher Beale will outline the legal directions on Monday before sending jurors out to decide Patterson’s fate.