Jury finds Erin Patterson guilty on all charges
The jury has found Erin Patterson caused the death of her lunch guests.
On the three charges of murder she has been found guilty. On the charge of attempted murder she has also been found guilty.
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Updated at 05.24 BST
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Benita Kolovos
No members of the Patterson or Wilkinson families attended court for the verdict.
The gallery has been asked to leave the court so Patterson can speak to her lawyers privately, which concludes today’s hearing.
I’ve headed outside to a huge press pack of journalists from across Australia and the world.
A friend of Patterson’s has left the court in tears. She says she upset by the verdict.
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After a trial lasting more than two months, Erin Patterson has been found guilty on four charges.
For a full recap of the verdict, you can read this piece from my colleagues Nino Bucci and Adeshola Ore:
Follow along as our coverage continues.
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Updated at 05.39 BST
Jury discharged
The jury has now been discharged.
Our reporter Benita Kolovos is in the court and says Erin Patterson was stoic as the charges were read. There were no tears.
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Updated at 05.28 BST
Benita Kolovos
As the verdict was read out, Patterson did not drop her gaze from the jury. She looked ahead calmly.
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Updated at 05.24 BST
Jury finds Erin Patterson guilty on all charges
The jury has found Erin Patterson caused the death of her lunch guests.
On the three charges of murder she has been found guilty. On the charge of attempted murder she has also been found guilty.
Share
Updated at 05.24 BST
Benita Kolovos
Patterson has arrived in court for the verdict.
She’s currently speaking to her lawyers, led by Colin Mandy SC, before court begins any minute.
Patterson is wearing a black blouse with a paisley print and has worn her hair out and straight. She appears calm.
Patterson, flanked by two security guards, now has her eyes closed and is taking deep breaths as we await the arrival of Justice Christopher Beale.
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Updated at 05.28 BST
Benita Kolovos
Lunchtime rush at Morwell court
I’m at Latrobe Valley law courts in Morwell, where the jury are have indicated they’ve reached their verdict after seven days of deliberations in the triple murder trial of Erin Patterson.
The court was on a lunch break when the jury made their decision. Many of the dozens of journalists who have been camped in Morwell for the entire 11-week trial were out for lunch, sparking a literal dash through the city to get back to court.
Now, we’re all waiting outside court room 4 to get one of the limited seats inside to watch the verdict.
Members of the public are also queueing up, with some having left their handbags out the front of the court to save their place in the line.
I’ll continue to provide updates throughout the afternoon.
Latrobe Valley Law courts in Morwell. Photograph: Martin Keep/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 05.17 BST
The court is expected to reconvene at 2.15 and we will bring you updates as we have them.
Erin Patterson, 50, faces three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder relating to a beef wellington lunch she served at her house in Leongatha, in regional Victoria, on 29 July 2023.
She is accused of murdering her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and her estranged husband’s aunt, Heather Wilkinson. The attempted murder charge relates to Heather’s husband, Ian.
Patterson has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The prosecution alleges Patterson deliberately poisoned her lunch guests with “murderous intent”, but her lawyers say the poisoning was a tragic accident.
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Court to reconvene as jury indicates verdicts reached
Welcome to our live blog of Erin Patterson’s triple murder trial.
The jury has indicated it has reached verdicts in the case of the mushroom lunch cook.
The court is expected to reconvene shortly. We’ll bring you live updates.
Patterson, 50, faces three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder relating to a beef wellington lunch she served at her house in Leongatha, in regional Victoria, on 29 July 2023. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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