The jury in the mushroom poisoning trial of Erin Patterson will start deliberating next week after judge Christopher Beale continued giving it instructions on Thursday.

Ms Patterson, 50, has pleaded not guilty to murdering her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, by allegedly serving them death cap mushrooms in a beef wellington lunch in July 2023.

Her in-laws and Wilkinson died in the days after the meal from the effects of mushroom poisoning. Wilkinson’s husband survived after weeks in hospital.

Mr Beale reminded the jury of Ms Patterson’s alleged incriminating conduct, which the prosecution has argued demonstrates her guilt.

This included lying about using dried mushrooms from an Asian grocery, disposing of a dehydrator at the local tip, handing police a secondary phone and not her primary phone – which was never found – as well as lying that she fed her children leftovers from the beef wellington with the mushroom paste scraped off.

Mr Beale also told the jury that Ms Patterson initially refused treatment and left the Leongatha Hospital against medical advice during her first presentation. During her second visit, she was again reluctant to receive medical care and seemed hesitant to seek treatment for her children.

“The prosecution argues the only reasonable explanation for her unwillingness to receive emergency treatment … is that she knew she hadn’t consumed death cap mushrooms because she had deliberately poisoned her guests … making sure she also did not consume toxins,” Mr Beale told the jury.