Colin Mandy, Patterson’s defence lawyer and one of Melbourne’s top criminal barristers, made no comment as he left the court through a scrum of journalists.
Jessica O’Donnell, a spokesperson for Patterson’s estranged husband, Simon Patterson and his siblings, also declined to comment.
Dean Thomas, a detective with Victoria Police, thanked investigators for their work on the case.
“I think it’s very important that we remember that three people have died, and we’ve had a person who nearly died and was seriously injured,” he said in a brief statement outside the court.
The families of the victims had requested privacy and would not be making a statement, he added.
The 10-week trial in Morwell, a former coal mining town around two hours east of Melbourne, attracted global interest with local and international media descending on Court 4 at the Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court where Patterson had requested the case be heard.
Public broadcaster ABC’s daily podcast on proceedings was consistently among the most popular in Australia during the trial, while several documentaries on the case are already in production.
MAJOR DECEPTION
The prosecution, led by barrister Nanette Rogers, told the court that Patterson had employed four major deceptions to murder her guests.
She first fabricated a cancer diagnosis to lure the guests to the lunch, then poisoned their meals while serving herself an untainted portion, Rogers told the court.
Patterson then lied that she was also sick from the food to avoid suspicion, before finally embarking on a cover-up when police began investigating the deaths, attempting to destroy evidence and lying to investigating officers, the prosecution said.
