Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates: Jury announces four verdicts

The courtroom erupted with stunned gasps after Erin Patterson was found guilty of murdering three of her in-laws and attempting to murder a fourth.

Homicide Squad police including detectives Stephen Eppingstall and Laura Colley were sat in the front row at court and looked relieved and happy, while the defence led by Colin Mandy SC remained expressionless.

Patterson, 50, wearing a paisley pattern top, blinked and appeared emotionless after hearing the verdict.

The mushroom chef’s closest friend, Alison Rose Prior, was swarmed by media as she left the courtroom, escorted by court personnel.

She appeared close to tears. ‘I’m saddened,’ Ms Prior said.

Asked how Patterson felt, she said: ‘I don’t know.’

She then begged media to leave her alone so she could get to her car.

A media representative for Simon Patterson likewise kept mum when approached by reporters.

The jury verdicts were handed down in the space of a minute, each to stunned gasps, at 2.18pm.

The female juror foreperson delivered the verdicts one by one.

Attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson: guilty

The murder of Heather Wilkinson: guiilty

The murder of Gail Patterson: guilty

The murder of Don Patterson: guilty

Justice Beale gave the jury a short speech thanking them for their service – which had entered its eleventh week.

‘Thank you once again and I now discharge you from jury service,’ Justice Beale said.

Patterson’s supporters looked distraught as they held each other.

Legal representatives have maintained their composure.

Justice Christopher Beale has arrived in the courtroom to hear the jury’s verdict.

The jury in the matter of R v Erin Patterson have indicated they have reached verdicts and the court will be reconvening at 2.15pm.

Media and court watchers have rushed to courtroom four to hear the verdict in the case.

The news that the jury had reached a verdict came during Monday’s lunch break, sending media crews scrabbling back to the law courts.

Cameramen and other media staff have now swarmed the front of Morwell Court to capture the reaction of parties involved in the case including the prosecution, defence and members of the Victoria Police homicide squad in the moments after the verdict is delivered.

The jury will hand their verdict exactly a week after Justice Christopher Beale first retired jurors to deliberate.

The seven male and five female jurors took about 27 hours in total to reach their verdicts.

Media, court watchers, true crime fans, and various other people including members of the prosecution are waiting around the small Latrobe Valley courthouse where jurors are deliberating.

Once the jury reaches a verdict on whether Patterson is guilty or not guilty of murdering three lunch guests and attempting to murder Mr Wilkinson, parties including Justice Beale, the defence and the prosecution will be notified.

Mr Wilkinson (pictured below) has been present in person for most of the trial but hasn’t been sighted since the jury retired to deliberate.

Simon Patterson, Erin’s estranged husband, has not been seen at the court since the early days of the trial, which kicked off on April 28.

The next step after the jury alerts the court it has reached a verdict will be to give both parties 15 minutes’ notice to return to the courtroom for the result.

As a result, most media and legal representatives are keeping a close eye on courtroom 4 at Morwell where the verdict will be delivered.

Most interested parties are in the courthouse, but some are waiting at a nearby café and other media are gathering outside.

The jury will hand their verdict to Justice Beale via his tipstaff and then they will be asked to confirm the verdict.

Justice Beale will then thank the jury for their service and the trial will be over.

Daily Mail Australia is on hand to publish the verdict as soon as it is given.

Justice Beale said the ‘ultimate issue’ the jury needs to consider is whether Patterson deliberately included death cap mushrooms in her lunch.

‘Now the ultimate issues are whether the accused deliberately included death cap mushrooms in the beef Wellingtons, and whether she had the state of mind necessary for the alleged offences at the time she served the beef Wellingtons to them,’ Justice Beale said.

‘There are a number of issues that are related to those ultimate issues, and they include whether the accused had good reasons not to kill her lunch guests.

‘Whether she foraged for edible mushrooms, why she cooked individual beef Wellingtons, why the children weren’t at the lunch, whether she had a different plate to a guest, whether she allocated her own plate.

‘Whether she engaged in incriminating conduct after the lunch.’

Last Monday, Pastor Ian Wilkinson looked sombre with his arms crossed as the jury was instructed on how to deal with the charge related to his attempted murder.

‘Turning to the elements of attempted murder, as you know… to prove that the accused committed the offence of attempted murder, in relation to Ian Wilkinson, the prosecution must prove the following four elements beyond reasonable doubt,’ Justice Beale said.

‘One, that the accused consciously, voluntarily and deliberately served Ian Wilkinson a poisoned meal, that’s the alleged conduct.

‘Two, the accused’s alleged conduct was more than merely preparatory to killing Ian Wilkinson, and immediately and not remotely connected with killing Ian Wilkinson.

‘Three, at the time of the alleged conduct, the accused intended to kill Ian Wilkinson, and four, the accused’s alleged conduct had no lawful justification or excuse.’

The prosecution case was led by Dr Nanette Rogers SC (pictured).

The jury in the mushroom murder trial of Erin Patterson is entering its second week of deliberations on Monday.

Victoria Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale concluded his address to the jury – or ‘charge’ – last Monday afternoon before the jury retired to deliberate on the verdict.

Two jurors were balloted out, leaving 12 to decide Patterson’s fate.

The five women and seven men will resume their deliberations at 10.30am, meaning there is a possibility today of a verdict in the murder trial which has garnered worldwide attention.

Patterson, 50, is accused of murdering her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, after allegedly serving them a beef Wellington lunch made with death cap mushrooms.

Patterson is also accused of attempting to murder Heather’s husband, pastor Ian Wilkinson, who survived the lunch after spending several weeks in an intensive care unit.

The court heard Patterson’s estranged husband, Simon (pictured), was also invited to the gathering at her home in Leongatha, in Victoria’s Gippsland region, but didn’t attend.

Witnesses told the jury that Patterson ate her serving from a smaller, differently-coloured plate to those of her guests, who ate the meal on four grey plates.

Patterson told authorities she bought dried mushrooms from an unnamed Asian store in the Monash area of Melbourne, but health inspectors could find no evidence of this.