The mushroom poisoning in Vic...... we are gripped!.....Part 3

[Dustyblue]

New thread! Cheers @echt for noticing!

The first rule of evidence is section 55 of the evidence Act: for evidence to be admissible, it must be relevant to a fact in issue (legally: could it rationally affect the assessment of the probability of a fact in issue) The facts in issue: did she kill them? Did she mean to?

It has been proven time and time again that acting unexpectedly, unemotionally, or coldly after the deaths of loved ones is not indicative of whether someone killed them or not. In Australia, most famously with Lindy Chamberlain. Therefore, likely for this reason (though none of us know if the prosecution ever sought to have it adduced anyway), that evidence is not relevant, and inadmissible.

PS- the movie is "a few good men". It's no "the castle" but it's a good watch :)

Sorry- you're so right- I completely misread it in a bout of early morning pregnancy insomnia :)

I suspect what you are paying for in a defence lawyer is not only how good they are at trial - but even more importantly how good they are at getting I incriminating evidence made inadmissible. Her defence did a great job - the paper on what dosage of death cap toxins are lethal to humans found on her computer somehow 'automatically downloaded by her computer' and ruled out'
And the defence must have been fuming when she come up with her cock and bull story on the stand about binge eating cake and vomiting at the time that CCTV footage (that had been ruled inadmissible) showed her at the tip.

I could never be a defence lawyer. Trying to get people off when you know they are guilty would mess up my sanity.

No worries, and I retract the bit at the end of that post where I rolled my eyes at the 'not guilty' people, that wasn't very nice. We're all entitled to our views on her innocence or guilt.

I think it does for some. There was an article in the press yesterday about the apparent suicide of a french lawyer, Maxime Tessier aged 34 and father of 2 young children who was on the defence team of a surgeon, now convicted of sexually assaulting 298 patients.

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2025/07/09/french-lawyer-who-defended-child-abuser-surgeon-le-scouarnec-dies-in-apparent-suicide_6743204_7.html#

Oh no dramas on that!

To be clear though I think as @Dustyblue mentioned once, most of those of us who leant "not guilty" felt that it hadn't been established on the admissible evidence beyond reasonable doubt rather than a total belief in her innocence. She has the right to try to appeal and really, if facing a multi decade sentence, who wouldn't?

But as I said before the outcome, I didn't and don't think a verdict of guilty is a legal miscarriage of justice- particularly as the jury saw and considered far more evidence than me :)

I would imagine the defence team had their work cut out just getting her to shut up.

I can understand why not every last piece of "evidence" can or should be allowed in a jury trial.

Does anyone remember, way back before EP was arrested & charged, a photo of a wall in her house with some pretty nasty kids drawings on it was taken by a tradesman & sent to the media?

It's that sort of thing that could lead the jury, when in fact it has nothing to do with the issue at hand.

@Yazzi If I ever do something terrible & find the cops circling you might get a PM from me saying "Help! I think I fucked up!"

Hahaha I'd be honoured!

Interesting piece from The Guardian

Mushroom trial spores toxic media hot takes after Erin Patterson’s guilty verdict | Amanda Meade | The Guardian

Yes I remember that. Looked like kids scribbles.

I am going to have to look at the Lindy case as I keep seeing everyone talking about it.

I think the different country laws has me confused as well as in the letby case stuff like this was included. Nothing came out afterwards about her either. Also folllowing the Constantce Maretn and Mark Gordon case. The aristocrat and boyfriend whose baby froze to death on the run. Now there is how a trial can go so wrong. Currently on the second one. The EP and Diddy case have reached a conclusion before this one.

i dont understand nasty kids drawings?
how can they be nasty?

Saying you die ny the sword and RIP Gramdma stuff like that.
Dark more so than nasty really.

If you'd seen the drawings you'd know.

For those interested in Linday Chamberlian and the frightful miscarriage of justice the Australian courts did to her- you are better off looking up her daughter's name, Azaria.

Death of Azaria Chamberlain - Wikipedia

Google Erin Patterson "death wall". Tons of images of it, or articles re.

Erin Patterson: ‘Death wall’ found in mushroom chef’s former home | news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site for latest headlines

I really don't think those drawings are relevant at all. Kids can become quite death obssessed. If it was Erin's work, quite a different matter.

On a different note - I read a Guardian piece yesterday - different to the above - about the various books, dramas etc that are in the pipelines. Actresses names touted included Kathy Bates!! Er ... Kathy is 77. Erin was 47 at the time of the murders. Not a young looking 47 granted, but think that is pushing it. Essentially they named any historicall overweight actress - Melissa McCarthy, the baby Reindeer woman and so on. She might be quite good if she can do a proper Aussie accent.

I really don't think those drawings are relevant at all. Kids can become quite death obssessed.

I think it was just something interesting/odd that came up in the early days. Most people don't let their children draw on the walls. And it was an eerie coincidence that the phrase "Grandma R.I.P." was drawn on a tombstone...

I agree, just thought it was an example of something best left out of the trial evidence as it could've lead the jury unnecessarily.

Oh yes, my Dad died last year and my DS9 had so many questions about dead Grandpa it almost did me in. Fucking horrible it was.

Although if he'd drawn on the walls I would've painted over it!

On a different note - I read a Guardian piece yesterday - different to the above - about the various books, dramas etc that are in the pipelines. Actresses names touted included Kathy Bates!! Er ... Kathy is 77. Erin was 47 at the time of the murders. Not a young looking 47 granted, but think that is pushing it. Essentially they named any historicall overweight actress - Melissa McCarthy, the baby Reindeer woman and so on. She might be quite good if she can do a proper Aussie accent.

After 2 years of following this, I'm not sure I'd rush to the cinema to see the movie!

Kathy Bates is always the evil character isn't she? But at 77.... oh come on! Really? Jennifer Gunning (Baby Reindeer) was fabulous in that role, poor Melissa Mcarthy only ever gets to play overweight women. Jeez, nice to see stereotyping is alive and well.

Although if Helen Garner writes a book I'll definitely read it.

And it was an eerie coincidence that the phrase "Grandma R.I.P." was drawn on a tombstone...

Their other grandmother (Erin’s mother) was already dead at that time, so it probably referred to her.

Wouldn’t mushroom poisoning have come up in post mortems/autopsies though? Which would have led to questions.

(I’m also amused that autocarrot is obsessive about trying to change mortem to mittens!)

Autocarrot 😂

I don't think it would show up in an autopsy unless they were specifically looking for it?