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Erin Patterson appeal live updates: mushroom murderer to learn fate in retrial bid

By · Via The Guardian · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The 52-year-old was previously sentenced to life imprisonment with a 33-year non-parole term for the fatal mushroom poisonings and one count of attempted murder. Defense attorneys submitted seven appeal grounds, specifically targeting a hotel arrangement shared by jurors, police, and prosecutors. Conversely, prosecutors have argued for an increased non-parole period that would ensure she remains incarcerated for the rest of her life.

Key points

  • Patterson's defense team contends that jurors sharing a hotel with police and prosecutors…: Patterson's defense team contends that jurors sharing a hotel with police and prosecutors represented a catastrophic legal failure.
  • The upcoming decision will resolve whether Patterson faces a brand new murder trial or an…: The upcoming decision will resolve whether Patterson faces a brand new murder trial or an extended prison sentence.
  • Prosecutors argued before the court that the offender should receive a sentence that ensu…: Prosecutors argued before the court that the offender should receive a sentence that ensures she dies in custody.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

In August, the court heard ErinPatterson should have been given no possibility of ever being released from prison, or a non-parole period so lengthy that she was likely to die behind bars.

Her lawyers argued seven grounds for her appeal, including that allowing jurors to stay in the same hotel as police and the prosecution while they deliberated over their verdicts in the triple murder trial represented a “catastrophic” failure of the justice system.

Erin Patterson, 52, was last year sentenced to life imprisonment, with a non-parole period of 33 years, for the murders of her estranged husband’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt HeatherWilkinson, after she hosted them for lunch.

Patterson was also convicted of the attempted murder of Heather’s husband, IanWilkinson, who survived the beef wellington laced with death cap mushrooms after spending weeks in hospital.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of ErinPatterson’s bid for a retrial.

Patterson is set to find out if she could face a longer prison sentence or a new trial this morning, as Victoria’s highest court hands down its…

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