After weeks of tension and speculation in mushroom murder trial, attention returns to the three lives taken | Victoria

Two and a half months later, more than 50 witnesses and a media madness running on the streets of Morwell to make the decision of journalists on time, the last moment of Erin Patterson’s hearing became silent.

At 14:15 on Monday, at the Latrobe Valley legal courts in Morwell, a two -hour car from Melbourne was full of a two -hour courtroom, full and murmured with tension.

Justice Christopher Beale, who chaired the hearing of the Supreme Court, ordered everyone to remain silent during the hearing. Did not need. You can hear a pim drop.

Patterson sat among two security guards before the judge entered. He closed his eyes. His chest rose and fell with slow, deliberate breaths.

But when the doors were opened and the judge and the jury were opened, his eyes were opened, focused, still.

One by one, the accusations were read loudly.

Patterson was found guilty of the murder of priest Ian Wilkinson, who became critical after a lunch at Patterson’s Leongatha house on 29 July 2023.

He had a bench Wellington a beef tied with a deadly death hat mushrooms. He recovered in the hospital for seven weeks. To try, he and the other three lunch meals were presented the plates, the defense objected to the statement Patterson’un a different color, he said.

Patterson was also guilty of the murder of Ian’s wife and his alienated husband Simon’s aunt Heather Wilkinson.

Simon’s mother is guilty of the murder of Gayle Patterson.

Simon’s father Donald Patterson is guilty of the murder.

Each criminal decision – Patterson looked at the jury of seven men and five women. He didn’t run. His face could not be read.

A week later on the witness pier, where he was prone to emotional explosions, he had no tears this time.

There was no member of Wilkinson or Patterson families in the courtroom to hear the decision. Erin Patterson’s only friend, quietly wiping tears.

When the Supreme Court’s E -Post hit the boxes’ boxes of journalists, it was 13: 38: the jury had reached the decisions.

It was unexpected – most reporters had made the jury during the hearing every day at the same time. They came out of the cafes around the city, calling their wild editors that had not been defeated and wild.

The hearing attracted the attention of the rising fiery media after the jury retired.

Apart from the automatic gates of Latrobe Valley Civil Courts, a circus created-regional tents, folding chairs, cables and tripods full of trips.

They all said that nearly 100 reporters, photographers, camera operators, podcasts, documentary teams and screenplay writers.

Only a few were able to enter the Fourth Court, the room where the decision was made.

To be in the room, the members of the people went to court early, went up and left their bags and jackets on a regular line outside the door of the courtroom.

Morwell has begun with a strange mixture of tension and boredom since June 30, when the jury was deliberately retired.

Lawyers were seen in the city for defense and prosecution, without obscure and unloaded, waited like everyone else.

One of the two cafes in one block of the court spent a record day for purchases and covers on July 1 after Beale finished the jury.

Towards the end of this 365 -page instruction, he emphasized the importance of unanimous decision to the 12 -member jury, but stressed that they could reach this decision because they wanted this decision.

They were sequered, every morning, Monday -on Saturday, and they met in the jury room before they were taken back to a hotel in the afternoon.

Beale half of the joke is “locked” as I talked. And when they finally appeared, Patterson was guilty.

There was no anger. No tears. No court room drama.

Just silence.

And the weight of three life taken.