Latest news with #murdertrial
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates: Jury continues deliberations for a third day as the world awaits verdict in marathon murder trial
Justice Christopher Beale concluded his address to the jury - or 'charge' - on Monday before the jury retired to deliberate on the verdict. On Monday afternoon, two jurors were balloted out leaving 12 to decide Erin Patterson's (pictured) fate. The jury deliberated all day Tuesday but no verdict was reached. The five women and seven men will resume their deliberations this morning meaning there is a possibility a verdict in the murder trial, which has garnered worldwide attention, could come as early as today. Patterson, 50, is accused of murdering her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, after allegedly serving them a beef Wellington lunch made with death cap mushrooms. Patterson is also accused of attempting to murder Heather's husband, pastor Ian Wilkinson, who survived the lunch after spending several weeks in an intensive care unit. The court heard Patterson's estranged husband, Simon was also invited to the gathering at her home in Leongatha, in Victoria's Gippsland region, but didn't attend. Witnesses told the jury that Patterson ate her serving from a smaller, differently-coloured plate to those of her guests, who ate off four grey plates. Patterson told authorities she bought dried mushrooms from an unnamed Asian store in the Monash area of Melbourne, but health inspectors could find no evidence of this.
ABC News
7 hours ago
- ABC News
Morwell became a world stage for Erin Patterson's mushroom trial
If you had stepped into one of the bustling cafes on the main street of Morwell, Victoria in the past two months, you might have been hard pressed to find a spare table. And if you had spent any time in courtroom four at the town's Latrobe Valley Supreme Court, you might have spied some familiar faces in the cafes: diners from opposing legal sides of one of the most talked about murder trials in Australian history. At one table, the defence team for the accused, Erin Patterson, clad in their barristers' gowns. Two tables over sits the homicide squad, with the remaining settings taken up with court watchers, jury members, journalists and documentary makers. All while members of the Patterson and Wilkinson families wait patiently for their takeaway coffee. The incidental union of defence and prosecution, pundits and families outside the courtroom has become a familiar vignette to those involved in the triple murder trial, originally slated for six weeks and now in its tenth. Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale has handed down his final charge, summarising the law and evidence the jury needs to consider when deciding whether Ms Patterson is guilty or not guilty. She is charged with murdering Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson and with attempting to murder Ian Wilkinson. She has always maintained her innocence and her defence team says the addition of death-cap mushrooms to the beef-wellington lunch in July 2023 was a tragic accident. While the crowd of regular spectators has thinned towards the end of the trial, for the past few months glimmers of country hospitality have shone through the usual aspects of an area of disadvantage. The trial has been the talk of the town, with cafe owners enjoying the uptick in business from those who have called Morwell home for the past couple of months. So what happens to a community when a big trial comes to town? Michael Mavrofridis is slicing mortadella and making panini sandwiches for the lunch crowd at Mavro's Deli on Church Street in Morwell. It took a couple of weeks for the metropolitan journalists to discover the precinct, but after a visit they were hooked. The cafe next door to the deli has a sandwich board stuck to the wall with a chalked sign announcing the lunch special for the day: mushroom soup. Michael, 25, and his brother, Con, took over Mavro's Deli in 2019. Michael said even with the tumultuous COVID years included, the recent trial had been one of the biggest things the deli had experienced. "After a couple of weeks … someone came and had one [panini] and spread the word. "Now we've had regular journalists come." He said despite the lengthy trial, customers were still curious about what was happening each day in court. "It's definitely a hot topic for everyone." It's the nature of the alleged crimes that has captured the attention and imagination of the world, according to associate dean of communications at RMIT, Lisa Waller. Professor Waller has researched the relationship between the media, regional reporters and crime. She spearheaded a study on rural media and justice, including the 1997 death of toddler Jaidyn Leskie that drew the country's attention to the nearby town of Moe. That town's reputation is associated with Jaidyn's death to this day. Her study found that when it came to country towns, people focused on where an alleged crime happened more than they would in a metropolitan area. She said both the public and the media were often captivated by alleged crimes in rural settings. "It's human nature and the power of narrative," she said. Claudia Davies has run her cafe on George Street, Morwell for the past 18 years. She said local customers seemed to be giving the CBD a wide berth, perhaps thinking that parking would be limited, or wanting to avoid the legal crowd and the media. Ms Davies said she had been cautious about commenting to customers about the trial, out of respect for the families involved. "I take my hat off to everyone reporting, they're so careful not to put opinions into it," she said. "We do have a few people talking about it, but I think people are being sensitive about it. Islynde Bourke has owned and operated The Daily Cafe and Foodstore for the past three years. She said due to the cafe's proximity to the legal precinct, plenty of media and legal staff had stopped by for their daily coffee. "We've got the media, journalists, the same people every day," Ms Bourke said. "The [Patterson family] I think have been coming in, and [we've had] lots of faces here visiting, which is interesting. "It's [the trial has] been the talk of the town. "There are lots of people who are just randoms here for the trial, here every day camping out [the] front of the court, and they're here every morning."
The Independent
9 hours ago
- The Independent
Murder-accused parents smoked as nurses tried to save their baby, court hears
Hospital staff desperately tried to save a two-week-old baby found in his cot with 'catastrophic injuries', a court heard. Brendon Staddon suffered multiple injuries to his head, neck, legs and jaw, while he was in the special care baby unit at the Yeovil District Hospital in Somerset on 5 March last year. His parents, Daniel Gunter, 27, and Sophie Staddon, 23, are both accused of murder and causing or allowing Brendon's death. At a trial at Bristol Crown Court, prosecutor Charles Row KC said hospital staff had discovered Brendon's injuries after Staddon told nurses her son was cold and asked them to check on him. Mr Row added that while the staff attempted to save Brendon, his parents walked outside for a cigarette. 'Staff found him lying in his cot with his baby grow open,' Mr Row said. 'They immediately saw that he wasn't just cold but that he had suffered catastrophic injuries. 'In plain language, his head had been crushed so as to shatter his skull. He was badly bruised from head to toe, with deep scratches in his neck. 'He was later found to have, amongst other injuries, a broken neck, a broken jaw, broken legs, broken ankles and broken wrists.' The prosecution said staff carried his 'limp, lifeless body' to the resuscitation area, but Brendon did not respond to treatment. Gunter and Staddon were arrested by the police while smoking outside, the court heard. Mr Row said that before Brendon died, social services and Gunter's family were worried about the 'lack of emotional warmth' the couple showed their child. When Brendon was born on 20 February 2024, attempts were made to persuade Staddon to stay in the hospital, but she went back to the temporary accommodation she shared with Gunter, Mr Row said. While in hospital, Gunter repeatedly ignored the advice of nurses, taking Brendon out of the incubator without asking, overstimulating the child to the point of causing him distress and removing his nasal gastric tube, the court heard. Mr Row said the jury needed to understand the 'sheer brutality' involved in the death. A post-mortem examination found Brendon died of 'blunt force impact(s) head injury' with multiple non-accidental injuries to the head. 'There was hardly a part of his body that was spared,' Mr Row said. The prosecutor referred to a report from Dr Roger Malcolmson, a consultant paediatric and perinatal pathologist, which suggested a severe impact head injury. '(The injuries are) consistent with a severe crush injury – like a cathode ray type television falling on a child's head,' Mr Row said. On the day Brendon died, Gunter asked for milk to feed the baby at around 3am. Half an hour later, a nurse asked if they were all right, with Gunter answering in a way she 'considered odd', the court heard. 'His reply did not seem natural to her,' Mr Row said. 'He seemed excited, his response was unusually animated, and he was nodding exaggeratedly. '(The nurse) thought later that it was as if he didn't want her to go over to her.' Just after 4am, Staddon approached the nursing admin station to tell them Brendon was cold. Mr Row said: 'Ms Staddon called out to Mr Gunter, 'I don't know if he is alive or not'. 'Mr Gunter said, 'he's fine, babe, he's fine'. 'Ms Staddon was upset and panicking, particularly when she heard that Brendon was not breathing. She replied, 'he's not fine'.' Staddon began 'crying hysterically', saying she wanted to see her baby, but Gunter told her to 'let them do what they need to do'. The court heard while nurses began CPR, the couple went outside for a cigarette and never returned to check on Brendon's condition. The court also heard the pair had an 'on, off' relationship, with Gunter described as being 'violent' towards his partner, controlling her finances and who she could talk to. A social worker visited the couple in January 2024, telling them that the authorities were planning to remove the baby from their care when he was born. Mr Row told the jury the couple showed no emotion at the news. '(The social worker) observed to his surprise was that they seemed much more concerned about their housing situation and what he could do to help with that than they were in the fact that their baby was going to be removed from them,' the prosecutor said. During interviews with the police, Gunter said: 'All I can say is that I did nothing, either on purpose or by accident, which could have caused this, and nor did Sophie. 'I do not know what the cause of these injuries was.' In a separate interview, Staddon told officers that she and her partner had been arguing, with Gunter wanting a DNA test to prove that Brendon was his son. She insisted that while Gunter had been angry at her and could be controlling, she had not seen him cause the young baby's injuries. Mr Row said: '(She said) She did not go back inside (the hospital) because she wanted to wait and see if hospital staff came out to tell her what had happened. 'She thought Brendon was dying, but didn't know why.' He added: 'Ms Staddon made a further prepared statement reiterating that she had not done anything to harm Brendon and that she did not know that he was being harmed by anyone, saying that if she thought it was happening, she would have told a nurse. 'She would have asked for help to get rid of Mr Gunter if she thought he had been harming Brendon.' Gunter and Staddon, both of no fixed address, deny charges of murder and causing or allowing Brendon's death. The trial continues.
The Guardian
12 hours ago
- The Guardian
In a sleepy Australian town, court watchers bag spots for Erin Patterson's mushroom lunch trial verdicts
As the jury in Australia's mushroom lunch trial prepared to start their first full day of deliberations on Tuesday, the rain began to fall outside the regional court. For more than two months, Erin Patterson's triple murder trial has inched towards its conclusion. The seasons turned from autumn to winter, with the trees across from the court in Morwell, about a two-hour drive from Melbourne, now completely bare. The Victorian supreme court trial, which began in April, was scheduled to run for up to six weeks. As jurors woke on Tuesday – to begin deliberations, July had arrived and the trial was in its 10th week. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Morwell, in Victoria's Gippsland region, has hosted what has been one of Australia's most high-profile criminal trials, attracting global attention. On Monday, the 14-person jury was reduced to 12 through a balloting off process. The final 12 retired to consider their verdicts just after 1pm. The nation's media now waits. There is no timeline for a jury's deliberations and the judge overseeing the trial has told jurors they can take 'all the time you need'. Reporters are stationed in a nearby overflow room, metres from court room four which will reconvene when verdicts are returned. Outside the Latrobe Valley law courts, TV reporters preparing for live crosses, news camera operators and photographers mill around the entrance. Patterson's murder trial has also attracted documentary producers, TV screenwriters and authors who have flocked to the sleepy town. Within the court building, some members of the public are already waiting outside the court room in anticipation of the verdicts. On Tuesday afternoon, a row of six bags were outside the court room, reserving people's positions in line. After 40 days of evidence (likened to a 'jigsaw puzzle' by the judge), arguments and instructions, the jury must determine whether or not the crown has proved guilt beyond reasonable doubt on the four charges. Justice Christopher Beale has reminded jurors they are the only 'judges of the facts' in this case. These seven men and five women will determine Patterson's fate. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Their deliberations are centred on whether Patterson deliberately and intentionally poisoned her estranged husband's family on 29 July 2023 with a lunch of beef wellingtons that contained death cap mushrooms, or whether it was a tragic accident. She faces three charges of murder related to her parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson. Patterson is also accused of attempting to murder Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Each day, the jury is transported to court to commence deliberations inside a jury room between 10.30am to 4.15pm, with a one hour and fifteen minutes lunch break. During their deliberations, which can occur between Monday to Saturday, the jurors are sequestered. This means they will return to supervised accommodation each night to ensure they have no contact with the outside world that could influence their deliberations. Jurors can submit written questions to Beale throughout this period, before the court would reconvene to hear the answer. Jurors have been instructed to ring a buzzer inside the jury room when they have reached verdicts to alert court staff. Then, the wait will be over.
The Guardian
12 hours ago
- The Guardian
Parents of baby found with ‘catastrophic injuries' went for cigarette as medics tried to save him, court hears
The parents of a two-week-old boy found in his cot at a special care baby unit with 'catastrophic injuries' walked out to have a cigarette as medics attempted to resuscitate him, a court has heard. Brendon Staddon had suffered a shattered skull and broken neck, his injuries so severe they were compared to those of someone who had fallen from a high building, a jury at Bristol crown court was told. Brendon's parents, Daniel Gunter, 27, and Sophie Staddon, 21, deny murder and also plead not guilty to causing or allowing the death of a child. Jurors heard that Gunter was allegedly controlling and sometimes violent to Staddon and had expressed doubt that the child was his. Charles Row KC, prosecuting, said Brendon was born at 33 weeks in February last year at Yeovil district hospital, weighing less than 'a couple of bags of sugar'. He seemed to be doing well but just after 4am on 5 March, Staddon approached the nursing station and asked the staff to check her baby. Row said: 'Staff found him lying in his cot with his baby grow open. He had suffered catastrophic injuries.' The barrister described the attack as exhibiting 'sheer brutality' with 'hardly a part of his body spared'. He said: 'In plain language, his head had been crushed so as to shatter his skull. He was badly bruised from head to toe, with deep scratches to his neck. He was found to have, amongst other injuries, a broken neck, a broken jaw, broken legs, broken ankles and broken wrists.' The prosecutor said one medical expert likened the injuries to those that might be found in a fall from a multi-storey building or in a 'complex' road accident. Row said on occasion Gunter would be violent towards Staddon. She allegedly said he would shout in her face, had hurled cups and plates at her and had thrown her across a room. He allegedly controlled her finances, dictated who she could speak to and spend time with, what and how much she ate and when she smoked. She told one acquaintance Gunter had said he did not want the baby, the court heard. Row said the authorities were worried about the couple and meetings had been held to decided if Brendon should be taken into care when he was born. Staddon and Gunter looked after the child in hospital but nurses were concerned about how he handled the child. On the day before he died, Staddon was upset because Gunter had allegedly said he wasn't the father. Such was the concern from staff that security were alerted. At about 3.30am on 5 March a nurse looked in on the parents and Brendon and asked if the child was alright. Row said: 'His [Gunter's] reply did not seem natural. He seemed excited, his response was unusually animated.' The nurse could not see anything of Brendon as he was swaddled in a blanket. Just after 4am Staddon approached the nursing station and asked that Brendon be checked as he was cold. A nurse examined him and raised the alarm. Gunter and Staddon left at 4.40am to go outside for a cigarette. 'They did not return, nor did they seek any update on their child's condition,' Row said. When they were arrested, Gunter told police: 'She's my witness and I'm her witness.' As he was being led to a van, the court heard that Gunter said to Staddon: 'Promise me, stick together yeah.' The trial continues.
