The mushroom trial jury has been sent back to their accommodation after completing their first full day of deliberations on whether Erin Patterson is guilty of a triple murder.
Twelve jurors retired to consider their verdict on Monday afternoon as the Victorian Supreme Court trial at Morwell, in regional Victoria, reached its 10th week.
They returned to the court about 10.30am on Tuesday where they spent a full day deliberating before being sent home to their sequestered accommodation at 4.15pm.
Black tarp has been placed across the front of Patterson’s home, in Leongatha, since the jury retired to deliberate on Monday.
After hearing more than two months of evidence, the jury must decide whether Patterson, 50, intentionally served her lunch guests beef Wellingtons laced with death cap mushrooms.
Her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister Heather, all died after consuming the lunch at Patterson’s regional Victorian home on July 29, 2023.
Heather’s husband Ian Wilkinson also ate the meal but survived after spending months in hospital.
Patterson claims it was all an accident and has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one charge of attempted murder.
The jury heard from more than 50 prosecution witnesses throughout the trial before Patterson entered the witness box for eight days.
The prosecution and defence then spent a week delivering their closing arguments before Justice Christopher Beale provided his directions to the jury.
He said the jurors needed to consider whether the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt Patterson deliberately served death caps with the intention to kill her guests.
Justice Beale reminded the jurors if they held any doubts about Patterson’s guilt, they must acquit her.
“You cannot be satisfied that the accused is guilty of an offence if you have a reasonable doubt if she is guilty of the offence,” he told the jury on Monday.
The jury is being sequestered during the deliberations and will have to remain together until unanimous verdicts are reached on all charges.
Justice Beale reiterated that every juror must agree on the verdict, although it did not matter how each person reached their conclusion.
He reminded the jurors they cannot return home until their unanimous decision.
The jury can deliver its verdicts any time from 10.30am to 4.15pm on Monday through to Saturday.
They’ll remain sequestered on Sunday if they have not reached a verdict but will not deliberate that day.
The jury will return to the court to reconvene their deliberations on Wednesday morning.