Erin Patterson, 50, is facing three charges of murder, and one charge of attempted murder, after hosting a fatal beef wellington lunch in July 2023. Three people died in hospital in the days after Ms Patterson’s lunch: Ms Patterson's in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66.

An alleged murderer testifying as a witness in their own defence is a rare strategy and normally a last resort.

For 10 weeks, reporter Jarrod Whittaker witnessed the town of Morwell swell with media, money, and relentless curiosity, and from inside the courtroom he had a clear view of Erin Patterson as the jury delivered its verdict in the mushroom murder trial's final,