The sensational trial ran for nine weeks in the small country town of Morwell, before a unanimous verdict that may see Erin behind bars for the rest of her life. She has always protested her innocence and insists the toddler's death was a tragic accident.
Death Cap Mushrooms, Lies and a Faked Illness
Prosecutors presented a lengthy timeline suggesting that Erin intentionally harvested lethal death cap mushrooms, which were allegedly seen growing in neighbouring towns, and hid them in a homemade beef Wellington. Erin also falsely claimed to have cancer in an attempt to gain sympathy, the court heard.
So the track team was served on a different set of plates than she and her guests, distinguished by its orange plate instead of a grey one, which is what the victims also received. Most memorably, she was a bottom and said she made herself her last meal and threw up her food after a lifelong battle with bulimia. That, she said, was why she hadn't taken true sick like the rest.
The court was also told that after lunch, Erin threw away food in a food dehydrator containing traces of poisonous mushrooms and wiped multiple mobile devices, only one of which was partially unlocked for police. Her claims about where she got the mushrooms were not verifiable — she said she bought dried ones at an unnamed "Asian grocery" — and GPS data showed she had visited places where Amanita phalloides have recently been identified.
Although Erin claimed she did not own a dehydrator, a manual was found in her home, and her social media accounts connected her to its usage. Photos found on her devices also depicted mushrooms being weighed on kitchen scales.
A web of red flags and questions
Yet despite Erin's claims of love for her deceased kin, text messages shared in court presented a contrary case. She called her estranged husband, Simon, a "deadbeat" and referred to his parents as "a lost cause." While they offered no distinct reason for the murder of Jenelle, they highlighted her lying history and the effort she took to dispose of the evidence.
He also heard a testimony from Simon Patterson, who said that he and Erin had remained civil with one another following their split in 2015, but tensions had grown over money and parenting in 2022. But he said there was no indication Erin blamed his parents.
Her lawyer argued that the inconsistencies were the product of panic and fear that she might be falsely blamed, not with criminal intent. Her lawyer said her actions did not reflect the actions of a murderer, but of someone caught in a tragic accident, trying not to appear suspicious.
But prosecutors implored the jury to look past inconsistencies in Erin's story and to view the circumstantial evidence as a whole, telling the jury that Erin had "told lies upon lies" to cover up the truth.
Erin was found guilty on all counts after a week of deliberation by the jury for the prosecution. A sentencing date will be set later.
