VERDICT WATCH Australia - 3 dead after eating wild mushrooms, Leongatha, Victoria, Aug 2023 #16 *Arrest*

[Ellery84]

What does the Judge do whilst the jury deliberates? Does he sit in the court chambers and do other work, can he go home or does he stay at the precinct and preside on other cases?

 

[Detechtive]

How many hours have they been deliberating for so far?

I think only about 8 hours?

 

[BreakingNews]

As a matter of interest, how did you appoint the foreperson?

We ended up with someone who we really shouldn't have, just because they were the oldest.

We chose someone who spoke out first and said we probably didn't want to be here, but we were in this together. Bingo. He got the top job. The next trial I was on, a week after this one, I was elected foreperson because I'd recent sat through a trial. Thankfully the drug case got thrown out.

 

[BreakingNews]

What does the Judge do whilst the jury deliberates? Does he sit in the court chambers and do other work, can he go home or does he stay at the precinct and preside on other cases?

From memory, s/he gets on with other trials. Or hands down sentences. No rest time for judges.

 

[drsleuth]

The jury really hasn't been deliberating long at all

Mon - Prob max of 2 hrs
Tues - 4 1/2 hrs

So in total only about 6 1/2 hrs

They deliberate from 10:30 - 1pm & 2:15 - 4:15 each day ( Mon - Sat )

The jury will deliberate between 10.30am-1pm and 2.15pm-4.15pm Monday to Saturday until a verdict is reached.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/the-mushroom-cook/mushroom-murder-trial-live-jury-expected-to-deliberate-erin-patterson-verdict-today/live-coverage/99aa39b0c3e4d58393fb9c19b58f6efb#/entry/32487077

I'm not really expecting anything till at least Friday or Saturday, I think they will want to be done by Sunday IMO

 

[Ellery84]

From memory, s/he gets on with other trials. Or hands down sentences. No rest time for judges.

That’s fascinating - thank you!

 

[Kemug]

From memory, s/he gets on with other trials. Or hands down sentences. No rest time for judges.

I wonder if they ever get any time for exercise?

 

[Lisa4]

He had plenty of time lately for jogging... the jury's memories

 

[Tweet57]

Just curious…During the duration of the trial, did EP travel from and back to jail each day?

The 2 Women’s Prisons in Victoria are quite a drive from Morwell where Erin’s court case is being held. The closest is 2 hours away. Why was Morwell selected as the location? A closer venue certainly would’ve had time and cost savings.

 

[Deleted member 363451]

The 2 Women’s Prisons in Victoria are quite a drive from Morwell where Erin’s court case is being held. The closest is 2 hours away. Why was Morwell selected as the location? A closer venue certainly would’ve had time and cost savings.

Only her and her solicitor know the answer to that question.

 

[Scooby-Doo]

I think we'll see a verdict either tomorrow or the end of the week. Those poor jurors are probably tired from all the evidence of EP's trial; I know I would be.

I will be a bit more concerned If this drags on

 

[Bats]

The 2 Women’s Prisons in Victoria are quite a drive from Morwell where Erin’s court case is being held. The closest is 2 hours away. Why was Morwell selected as the location? A closer venue certainly would’ve had time and cost savings.

In the link below at around the 21 minute mark, the presenters explain that it was Erin and her lawyers that wanted the trial to be held close to Leongatha, where she lived.

Another reason could be that it would be easier for a lot of the witnesses that were called to testify in the trial.

Location, location, location - ABC listen

 

[Scooby-Doo]

Privacy screening appears at Erin Leongatha's home

After several hours of deliberations, the jurors were brought back into the courtroom.

Justice Beale wished them a “pleasant break” tonight at the hotel where they will be sequestered, under the watchful eye of jury keepers.

“The jury keepers have an important job to perform and they’ll be making sure that no one interferes with you,” he said.

He instructed them not to second-guess any of their instructions.
“(It would be an) awful shame if you didn’t oversee one of their instructions and, as a result, we had a mistrial,” he added.

“Some of the instructions may seem over the top … but please just bear with it.”
The jurors will be bussed back to court tomorrow to continue their deliberations.

Meanwhile, black plastic tarps have been wrapped around the front of the accused’s Leongatha home in the event she is found not guilty and wishes to return to her property.

 

[JBowie]

Meanwhile, black plastic tarps have been wrapped around the front of the accused’s Leongatha home in the event she is found not guilty and wishes to return to her property.

Hmm, quite funereal IMO.

 

[Tortoise]

Privacy screening appears at Erin Leongatha's home

After several hours of deliberations, the jurors were brought back into the courtroom.

Justice Beale wished them a “pleasant break” tonight at the hotel where they will be sequestered, under the watchful eye of jury keepers.

“The jury keepers have an important job to perform and they’ll be making sure that no one interferes with you,” he said.

He instructed them not to second-guess any of their instructions.
“(It would be an) awful shame if you didn’t oversee one of their instructions and, as a result, we had a mistrial,” he added.

“Some of the instructions may seem over the top … but please just bear with it.”
The jurors will be bussed back to court tomorrow to continue their deliberations.

Meanwhile, black plastic tarps have been wrapped around the front of the accused’s Leongatha home in the event she is found not guilty and wishes to return to her property.


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Gosh. I'm really surprised he is still instructing them about his instructions during deliberations, when they haven't asked any questions. It feels very OTT to me, like he doesn't trust them to do their work. MOO

 

[ch_13]

Gosh. I'm really surprised he is still instructing them about his instructions during deliberations, when they haven't asked any questions. It feels very OTT to me, like he doesn't trust them to do their work. MOO

I don't read the quote as talking about his jury instructions.

“The jury keepers have an important job to perform and they’ll be making sure that no one interferes with you,” he said. He instructed them not to second-guess any of their instructions. “(It would be an) awful shame if you didn’t oversee one of their instructions and, as a result, we had a mistrial,” he added.

To me, it looks like he is talking about the instructions of the jury keepers. In other words, "Do what your minders tell you while being sequestered. If you deviate from the rules they set out, we could have a mistrial."

 

[Susjay]

Only her and her solicitor know the answer to that question.

Her defence team has been pushing for her trial to be held in the Latrobe Valley, although the prosecution wanted it to be held in Melbourne.

The Supreme Court today decided that the highly-anticipated trial will be held in Morwell in April next year

Defence and acuused wanted the trial to be held locally.

Erin Patterson's murder trial over the lunch deaths of three people will be held in regional Victoria

Erin Patterson's lawyers have successfully argued for the accused murderer's Supreme Court trial next year not to take place in Melbourne, but in the Gippsland town of Morwell.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Tortoise]

I don't read the quote as talking about his jury instructions.

“The jury keepers have an important job to perform and they’ll be making sure that no one interferes with you,” he said. He instructed them not to second-guess any of their instructions. “(It would be an) awful shame if you didn’t oversee one of their instructions and, as a result, we had a mistrial,” he added.

To me, it looks like he is talking about the instructions of the jury keepers. In other words, "Do what your minders tell you while being sequestered. If you deviate from the rules they set out, we could have a mistrial."

Ah okay, on second reading that makes sense. I was trying to fathom why he said their instructions, thinking maybe he meant the jury's instructions. I agree, it is the keeper's. Phew.

I'd even started wondering how he would even know if they'd ignored his instructions and how that would cause a mistrial without asking them.

 

[Mandala]

Do the jury have access to their phones or any media while in the hotel?

 

[ch_13]

I'd even started wondering how he would even know if they'd ignored his instructions and how that would cause a mistrial without asking them.

I think they literally have "keepers" who could report back to the judge. People who accompany the jury everywhere and tell them where they can go, etc. The judge describes some of the rules as "over the top" so I imagine they are very restricted in what they can and cannot do. Perhaps they're even being confined to their hotel rooms.