Australia - 3 dead after eating wild mushrooms, Leongatha, Victoria, Aug 2023 #10 *Arrest*

[Detechtive]

Keep in mind it's not the defence's case, it's the prosecution’s.

...but i think I understand ymthw point you are making.

I’m saying that the defence case is weak. I’m aware that the prosecution needs to prove its case, but my point is, the defence are not creating any reasonable doubt as time goes on. I can’t see how the jurors would be able to find her not guilty at this stage, due to the defence not having a good defence case to poke holes in the prosecutions case.

 

[MsMarple]

Just now

Court breaks for lunch​

By Melissa Brown​

The jury has been led out and the court will now take just over an hour for lunch.

Erin Patterson wanted to make 'fancy' meal for lunch guests, trial told — as it happened

Erin Patterson's triple murder trial continues from Morwell. She is charged with murdering three relatives who ate a meal she prepared which contained death cap mushrooms. Follow the trial live.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Scuffy35]

I’m saying that the defence case is weak. I’m aware that the prosecution needs to prove its case, but my point is, the defence are not creating any reasonable doubt as time goes on. I can’t see how the jurors would be able to find her not guilty at this stage, due to the defence not having a good defence case to poke holes in the prosecutions case.

Bear in mind the prosecution are still presenting their case. The defence has not had their turn to present their case yet.

 

[MsMarple]

02:33

Protester accuses judge of 'rigging' court cases​

A protester has ambushed the Erin Patterson trial asking Justice Christopher Beale how he could be a judge.
The man (pictured below) wearing a yellow T-shirt with the slogan 'All we are saying is give truth a chance' went on a rant just after the jury re-entered the courtroom.
'Mr Beale how could you be a judge when you rig court cases,' the man yelled out.
Detective Leading Senior Constable Stephen Eppingstall, the police informant in the Patterson trial, approached the man and walked him out of the courtroom.
The trial resumed without further interruption.

Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates

Follow Daily Mail Australia's live coverage of accused mushroom chef Erin Patterson's murder trial here.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[MsMarple]

Key Event
10m ago

Here's what we've heard this morning​

By Joseph Dunstan​

It's been a dense morning of evidence, as Erin Patterson's defence lawyers cross-examined Victoria Police digital forensics expert Shamen Fox-Henry.

Here's what we've heard:

• A complex process was used to extract and analyse data including photos from devices seized from Erin Patterson's home
• The defence asked many questions about the safeguards in place to ensure the data was well extracted and evidence such as visits to web pages were analysed in context
• We had a brief interruption when a protester emerged in court mid-morning, but they were swiftly removed from the room.
• Pathologists who carried out autopsies on Don Patterson, Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson identified extensive liver damage and organ failure in all three, consistent with death cap poisoning
• In the case of Don Patterson, who died a day after Heather and Gail, the Amanita phalloides toxin was detected before he died and was listed among the causes of death

Erin Patterson wanted to make 'fancy' meal for lunch guests, trial told — as it happened

Erin Patterson's triple murder trial continues from Morwell. She is charged with murdering three relatives who ate a meal she prepared which contained death cap mushrooms. Follow the trial live.

www.abc.net.au

 

[JBowie]

This case is tech-heavy. I hope the jury isn't feeling overloaded with science.

The prosecution's closing will need to be clear and simple, IMO.

 

[JBowie]

'Mr Beale how could you be a judge when you rig court cases,' the man yelled out.

I wonder what triggered that?

 

[Two SCents]

I wonder what triggered that?

This might be a possibility

Other killings Justice Beale looked at to calculate Ristevski sentence

After widespread consternation after Borce Ristevski's sentencing, we delve into the cases Justice Christopher Beale referred to when deciding the prison term.

www.watoday.com.au

 

[MsMarple]

1m ago

The trial resumes​

By Judd Boaz​

The jury has been brought back in from lunch.

Dr Beer, the supervising pathologist at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, is back on the witness stand.

The defence is now questioning him.

Erin Patterson wanted to make 'fancy' meal for lunch guests, trial told — as it happened

Erin Patterson's triple murder trial continues from Morwell. She is charged with murdering three relatives who ate a meal she prepared which contained death cap mushrooms. Follow the trial live.

www.abc.net.au

 

[MsMarple]

1m ago

Dr Beer finishes giving evidence​

By Melissa Brown​

Colin Mandy SC is asking Dr Beer if he could exclude any other contributing factors to Don Patterson's death.

Dr Beer tells the court that if someone has significant co-morbidities, they’re not going to deal with the amanita toxins as well as someone who is healthy.

However, he says he found no significant co-morbidities.

He's now finished questioning Dr Beer and he's finished giving evidence.

 

[MsMarple]

Key Event
1m ago

Police forensic officer takes the stand​

By Melissa Brown​

Ben Goodwin is now giving evidence.

He works in forensic biology for Victoria Police, focussing on crime scenes and exhibits.

He examined the food dehydrator recovered from the Koonwarra Transfer Station and Landfill to collect any vegetable matter or debris that may have been present.

He says a number of samples were collected.

 

[MsMarple]

1m ago

Samples taken from dehydrator​

By Kristian Silva​

The court is set to be shown a series of photos from Mr Goodwin’s report into specimens collected from the dehydrator.

The first image is of a small specimen jar which contains a tiny brown item inside, which was believed to be vegetable debris.

Mr Goodwin says the debris was collected with tweezers.

A second photo is put up, showing the right-hand side vent of the dehydrator.

A small piece of debris was stuck to the side of the dehydrator, which was also collected into a jar.

 

[MsMarple]

2m ago

We’re taken to more pictures and samples from the dehydrator​

By Kristian Silva​

Mr Goodwin says a collection was taken from the door of the dehydrator. The court is shown a crumb-like speck of vegetable which was collected and placed into a jar.

Next, a picture of a square white item is flashed up on the screen.

“This was sitting inside the tray itself,” he says.

Now we see one of the dehydrator's trays — an object that looks like a grate. Another small item was pulled from there.

 

[MsMarple]

1m ago

Forensic officer finishes giving evidence​

By Kristian Silva​

It's more of the same from Mr Goodwin, who talks about more tiny specimens collected from the dehydrator.

In total, seven samples were collected, he says.

The items were packaged and sealed, and then returned to Victoria Police forensic management unit for further testing and analysis.

The prosecution finishes questioning him and the defence doesn't have anything to ask so he's excused from the stand.

 

[Detechtive]

I wonder what triggered that?

They're usually the common law protestor crazies. IMO

 

[MsMarple]

1m ago

Department of Health communicable disease manager is called​

By Melissa Brown​

Our next witness is Sally Ann Atkinson.

She tells the court her team deals with anything related to gastro type illnesses, including community outbreaks.

She says doctors or labs may notify of illnesses, including possible foodborne outbreaks.

 

[MsMarple]

1m ago

Health department team notified of possible mushroom poisoning​

By Melissa Brown​

Ms Atkinson says an outbreak was classed as two or more people being sick.

She says her team would implement any actions that may be needed to stop anyone else in the community getting sick from an outbreak.

She says on July 31, 2023, the team received a possible disease notification for death cap poisoning from Doctor Connor McDermott at the Austin Hospital.

 

[Old Soul]

2m ago

We’re taken to more pictures and samples from the dehydrator​

By Kristian Silva​

Mr Goodwin says a collection was taken from the door of the dehydrator. The court is shown a crumb-like speck of vegetable which was collected and placed into a jar.

Next, a picture of a square white item is flashed up on the screen.

“This was sitting inside the tray itself,” he says.

Now we see one of the dehydrator's trays — an object that looks like a grate. Another small item was pulled from there.

The “square white item” is a tray insert from the dehydrator.

Officer Goodwin also explained his team discovered a tray insert on one of the dehydrator trays.
'There was a tray and this was sitting inside the tray,' he said.
'We removed the insert and took samples from the insert, then we took samples from the tray itself.'

Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates

Follow Daily Mail Australia's live coverage of accused mushroom chef Erin Patterson's murder trial here.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[MsMarple]

1m ago

Health department told of mushroom lunch​

By Melissa Brown​

Ms Atkinson says Dr McDermott told her there may be six people ill from a family event on July 29.

She says the number of cases was then clarified to five.

But she says Dr McDermott thought there might also have been two children who attended the event but he was unsure whether they consumed the lunch.

She says he told her they had all consumed mushrooms and he believed some of the mushrooms had been bought from an Asian grocery store in Oakleigh or Mt Waverley in April and stored frozen until they were used in July.

She says Dr McDermott told her four of the people were very unwell.

 

[MrJ]

They're usually the common law protestor crazies. IMO

To add: We call these ‘sovereign citizen’ types cookers in Australia under the thinking that their brains are fried reading conspiracy theories.

Anyway back to the case. What an awful way for all three to pass. Really got to commend the efforts of all the medical staff to try and save their lives.