Erin Patterson has been found guilty of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder after serving a beef Wellington laced with death cap mushrooms at a family lunch in Leongatha.
Ian Wilkinson was the only guest to survive the deadly mushroom lunch. His courtroom testimony gave the jury a firsthand account of what happened that day.
So, how did the sole survivor help convict Patterson?
On Monday afternoon’s episode of The Briefing, we are joined by associate professor and criminologist Xanthé Mallett from CQUniversity to explain the verdict.
Mallett said that the jury’s decision was likely influenced by the strength of Ian Wilkinson’s testimony.
“He came across as so believable, so down to earth, so together, given what he’d lost and what he’d been through physically and emotionally,” she said.
“I think his testimony was probably really central to this outcome.”
Mallett said the jury had little room for compromise.
“It was either going to go all one way or the other. There was no middle ground in this case.”
She pointed to lies told by Patterson during the investigation, including initially denying she had foraged mushrooms, as likely weighing on the jury’s assessment of her credibility.
Mallett also noted that Patterson is likely to undergo a psychological or psychiatric assessment before sentencing.
“The judge will have to go through a lot of evidence separate to what he’s already considered.She may well be assessed psychologically or psychiatrically to see whether there’s anything that needs to be considered in that sense.”
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