Hotel mix-up during jury sequestration fuels appeal in Australia's mushroom murder case
Erin Patterson, convicted of killing three relatives with poisoned mushrooms, is appealing her conviction partly because sequestered jurors ended up sharing a hotel with prosecution staff and a key detective during deliberations. Prosecutors say safeguards worked and no actual contact occurred.
An appeal is underway in the Australian state of Victoria over the conviction of Erin Patterson, who served her estranged husband's relatives a lunch laced with poisonous mushrooms in 2023, killing three people and severely injuring a fourth. She was found guilty on all charges and sentenced to life in prison.
During the trial in the Gippsland region, the judge ordered that once deliberations began, the jury be sequestered from the outside world to prevent any risk of improper influence. However, the region was experiencing an accommodation shortage at the time, made worse by a table tennis championship taking place nearby. As a result, the jury ended up staying at the same hotel as the lead police detective and two prosecution solicitors.
Defence argument
Patterson's barrister, Richard Edney, told the Court of Appeal the mix-up was "catastrophic" and an unexplained failure that undermined the integrity of the verdicts. He argued that even incidental contact with people connected to the case could have subconsciously influenced jurors, and called for a retrial. The defence noted it learned of the situation later than others involved and had twice asked for an investigation after the verdict, without success.
Prosecution response
Director of Public Prosecutions Brendan Kissane argued the system worked as intended, saying that once the overlap was identified, steps were taken immediately to avoid contact, and the jury had exclusive use of a separate floor and dining area. He maintained there was no evidence of any actual interaction between jurors and case-related staff.
A panel of judges is now considering this argument along with six other appeal grounds, as well as a prosecution request to remove Patterson's eligibility for parole. A ruling is expected at a later date.
