Mushroom Poison Deaths: How did 3 people die after family lunch in Australia?

[kingwilly]

About two Saturdays ago, a group of five people gathered for a family meal in a tiny town in Australia. Shockingly, within a week, three of them passed away, another fought for their life, and the fifth person is being investigated for a potential connection to the use of poisonous wild mushrooms in the meal.

[beachbound]

Are you referring to the Erin Patterson trial?

Pretty damning.

Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial, explained : NPR

[kingwilly]

Sorry, yes I was, dunno what happened to the rest of the post.

Prosecutors accuse Patterson of lying about a cancer diagnosis as a pretense for the lunch, deliberately poisoning her guests, not eating the same dish as them and pretending to suffer similar symptoms afterward as an attempted cover-up.

Guilty af

[Molle]

About two Saturdays ago, a group of five people gathered for a family meal in a tiny town in Australia.

About two years ago..

[kingwilly]

The trial is ongoing.

[armstrong]

The trial is ongoing.

Yes but they didn't eat the mushrooms two saturdays ago.

[Salsa dancer]

There are some slightly curious facts about this case.

One is that she said she got diarrhea but cctv footage of the toilets in a service station showed her being in there about 7 seconds on a longish trip the next day.

It doesn't look good for her.

Latest update :

Australia mushroom trial live: Erin Patterson intended to kill lunch guests and thought cancer lie ‘would die with them’, prosecution says | Victoria | The Guardian

[cyrille]

There are some slightly curious facts about the case.

One is why the op is such a massive balls up.

Anyway, closing arguments are being made.

Surely she'll be going down?

[Salsa dancer]

One is why the op is such a massive balls up.

Yeah, maybe TD forum's Brain Fartz R Us is a bit confused ?


Anyway, there is too much circumstantial evidence going against the mushroom lady, despite her acting all innocent. Her Google searches for Death Caps, her phone data showing she was in the area she had seen them reported in internet searches....etc.

And I'd be surprised if there was a hung jury. This case has captivated the nation.

[39TG]

Don't overlook she's a shiela. It's a lot more difficult to convict a shiela and even if convicted she can play all the "I'm one of life's victims, give me a soft sentence" cards.

[Troy]

^ What are you on?
She will be judged on the evidence presented. Gender, race, creed etc. doesn't enter into it. Sounds like premeditated murder to me, based on what I've heard.

[kingwilly]

Factory Resetting her phone three times before handing it over to the police. Throwing her mushrooms dehydrator away after the deaths. Claiming she bought mushrooms at an Asian grocery store; but cannot remember which grocer. Lying about having cancer. During the meal she served 3 meals on one type of plate and 1 meal to herself on a different coloured plate…

[cyrille]

She also lied about having to stop her car to take a dump behind a bush because of an upset stomach caused by the meal.

Her son was a passenger and had no recollection of that happening.

[kingwilly]

Yup, she visited a hospital to register herself as being sick while everyone else was literally dying in hospital, but then fled when they wanted to test her properly.

[kingwilly]

Prosecutors have told Erin Patterson's triple-murder trial jury the mother of two carried out a "sinister deception" on her in-laws by using a "nourishing meal" as the vehicle for lethal doses of death cap mushrooms.
Ms Patterson, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one of attempted murder over a beef Wellington lunch served to four relatives at her regional Victorian home in 2023.
As the trial entered its eighth week on Monday, lead prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC began delivering her closing address to the jury.
The trial of Erin Patterson, who stands accused of using a poisoned meal to murder three relatives, continues.
Look back at how Monday's hearing unfolded in our live blog.
To stay up to date with this story, subscribe to ABC News.
Cancer lie 'planted' in advance of lunch, prosecution alleges

Dr Rogers told the jury the prosecution alleged Ms Patterson had engaged in four substantial acts of deception while carrying out her crimes.
The prosecutor said the first of these was her fabricated cancer claim to the lunch guests, who the court heard were told she had been diagnosed with cancer — although Ms Patterson told the court she had believed she had only implied she may need ovarian cancer treatment in the future.
"The accused planted the seed of this lie far in advance," Dr Rogers said, referring to evidence that Ms Patterson had told her parents-in-law about tests on her elbow in the lead-up to the lunch.




Prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC (left) is summing up her case against Erin Patterson. (ABC News)
The prosecutor told the jury Ms Patterson was "setting up a fiction" that she was facing a cancer diagnosis, which was made more convincing by her having "put in research" on the conditions about which she told her guests she was concerned.
"Why on earth would she tell such a lie?" Dr Rogers rhetorically asked the jury.

"She did not think her lunch guests would live to reveal it. Her lie would die with them,"

Dr Rogers said.
She told the jury that they could discount Ms Patterson's evidence that she had organised the lunch to thank her relatives and show them her garden.
She also told the jury that the absence of Ms Patterson's children from the lunch was "entirely the accused's plan" to ensure "the children would not be harmed by the poison she was about to serve".
Prosecutor outlines claim that death cap mushrooms were 'secreted' in lunch

Dr Rogers said the second and most "critical" deception alleged by the prosecution was that Ms Patterson "secreted" the death cap mushrooms into the individual beef Wellingtons.
"The sinister deception was to use a nourishing meal as the vehicle to deliver the deadly poison," Dr Rogers said.
Dr Rogers said the very design of the meal, in which a large beef Wellington log outlined in a cookbook recipe was substituted for individually parcelled beef Wellingtons, was a "deliberate choice" by Ms Patterson.
"It allowed her to give the appearance of sharing in the same meal while ensuring she did not consume … [a beef Wellington] laced with death cap mushrooms," the prosecutor told the jury.




Erin Patterson is accused of poisoning Ian and Heather Wilkinson, and Don and Gail Patterson. Ian Wilkinson (left) was the only survivor of the Leongatha lunch. (Supplied)
Dr Rogers said while there was "no direct evidence as to where the accused sourced the death cap mushrooms", Ms Patterson was "familiar" with the iNaturalist website and had made previous visits to the site which showed where the toxic fungi were growing.
"The accused did not navigate to other types of mushrooms, she did not meander about the website. She went directly to death cap mushrooms," Dr Rogers said.
Phone data was used to identify to the jury two "potential" visits by Ms Patterson to areas where death cap mushrooms had been identified in Outtrim and Loch.
The prosecutor alleged that after the accused went to Loch to source death cap mushrooms, a photo taken on one of Ms Patterson's devices showed "the very death cap mushrooms she collected ... in the process of being dehydrated".
The jury previously heard evidence of how Ms Patterson would dehydrate mushrooms and blitz them into a powder to "hide" in food for the children, a technique which the prosecutor alleged was used for the fatal lunch.

"At some stage, she blitzed them into a powder, as she admitted doing for other mushrooms, and in that form, hid them [in the beef Wellingtons],"

Dr Rogers said.
Dr Rogers also highlighted evidence given by sole surviving lunch guest Ian Wilkinson, who said the guests had eaten off different-coloured plates to their host.
"The accused deliberately served herself on a different plate to the others in order to identify which of the meals was not poisoned and which she would then serve to herself," Dr Rogers alleged.
"The only reason she would do that is because she knew that there were poisonous mushrooms in the other meals, because she put them there, and to ensure that she could identify the sole non-poisonous meal."
Listen to the latest Mushroom Case Daily episodes

Photo shows An illustration of Erin Patterson with her face inside the shape of a mushroom.
The ABC podcast will bring you all the key updates from Erin Patterson's triple-murder trial over a beef Wellington lunch containing death cap mushrooms.
Dr Rogers told the jury it was not credible that Ms Patterson had found herself unable to recall the location of the Asian grocer where she had claimed to buy dried mushrooms used in the meal.
The prosecutor said Ms Patterson had displayed a "remarkable memory" during her time in the witness box, where she had recalled dates, evidence and details with ease.
Dr Rogers noted that Ms Patterson had even corrected her during cross-examination about the day of the week that a particular date in 2023 fell on.
The prosecutor said given the evidence of Ms Patterson's strong recall, "it simply beggars belief" that she had been unable to remember the store's location.
Dr Rogers told the jury they should reject the evidence that mushrooms for the meal were bought at an Asian grocer as "a fiction" that Ms Patterson had repeated "over and over again".
Ms Patterson's apparent sickness the third deception, prosecution says

The prosecution claimed that Ms Patterson feigned post-lunch illness to medical staff and family in a third major act of deception.
"The only reason she would do something like that — pretend to be suffering from the same illness as the others — is of course, because she knew she had not been poisoned, knew she was not going to exhibit symptoms of poisoning [and how suspicious that would look]," Dr Rogers said.

"Her good health, in other words, would give her away."

Dr Rogers detailed evidence given by Ms Patterson of her symptoms following the lunch, which she said was "not consistent" with evidence given by a number of other witnesses throughout the trial.




Erin Patterson gave evidence in her own triple-murder trial in Morwell. (ABC News: Paul Tyquin)
One of those witnesses was her estranged husband Simon Patterson who said Ms Patterson had told him she was experiencing diarrhoea and had started feeling unwell an hour or so after her lunch guests had left.
The four lunch guests had started showing symptoms around midnight. Dr Rogers said the delayed onset of symptoms was what first alerted medical experts to death cap mushroom poisoning and "therefore [Ms Patterson's] symptoms were inconsistent with her lunch guests' poisoning".
The frequency of Ms Patterson's alleged bowel movements following the lunch was also brought into question and the prosecution said Ms Patterson's evidence that she took imodium to treat diarrhoea was also fabricated.
The prosecutor also told the jury it was "highly unlikely" someone suffering nausea, cramping and recurrent diarrhoea would embark on a two-hour car journey from Leongatha to Tyabb on the day after the lunch.
Dr Rogers told the jury Ms Patterson's actions to discharge herself from hospital without receiving life-saving treatment after her initial presentation was "incriminating conduct" and she did so because "she knew" she had not eaten death cap mushrooms.
"She realised that what she had done was going to be uncovered," Dr Rogers said.
"She fled back to her house to try and work out how she was going to manage the situation and how she might explain why she wasn't as sick like the lunch guests.
"Her reluctance to receive medical treatment is inexplicable unless she knew she had not eaten what her lunch guests had eaten."
On Monday afternoon, Dr Rogers began to outline what prosecutors alleged was the fourth deception in Ms Patterson's crimes: the "cover-up".
The prosecutor alleged as part of this, Ms Patterson had lied about feeding leftovers from the lunch to her children and lied about the origins of the mushrooms in the meal.
Dr Rogers said the accused had also dumped the dehydrator used to dry death cap mushrooms and concealed her usual mobile phone from police as part of the alleged deception.
The trial continues

https://www.xxx.xxx.xx/news/2025-06-16/erin-patterson-mushroom-murder-trial-prosecution-closing-address/105422248

[kingwilly]

Erin Patterson's mushroom murder trial jury soon to put the puzzle pieces together

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  By Joseph Dunstan
  
• Topic:Courts
  

19h ago19 hours ago





Erin Patterson has pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one of attempted murder. (ABC News: Paul Tyquin)






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For seven weeks, jigsaw pieces have been shaken out before the jury in Erin Patterson's triple-murder trial.
Dozens of witnesses were called and exhibits ranged from photos allegedly showing death cap mushrooms being dehydrated in the lead-up to the murders, to reams of data extracted from seized electronic devices.
The trial of Erin Patterson, who stands accused of using a poisoned meal to murder three relatives, continues.
Look back at how Thursday's hearing unfolded in our live blog.
To stay up to date with this story, subscribe to ABC News.
In the trial's eighth week, the prosecution and defence used those pieces to assemble and present two contrasting pictures to the jury.
The prosecution told the jury the pieces clicked into place to reveal Ms Patterson as a murderer, who had deliberately killed three relatives and attempted to murder a fourth.
The lunch she had hosted at her regional Victorian home in 2023 was built on a series of deceptions, the prosecution alleged.
The lethal one, lead prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC said, was Ms Patterson's lacing of the beef Wellington meals she served to her relatives.
"The sinister deception was to use a nourishing meal as the vehicle to deliver a deadly poison," Dr Rogers told the Supreme Court jury.




Erin Patterson hosted the 2023 lunch at her Leongatha home in Victoria's South Gippsland region. (ABC News: Danielle Bonica)
She invited the jury to consider the pieces of evidence around the "deviations" Ms Patterson made to the original beef Wellington recipe.
While the method in the mother of two's cookbook called for a log of meat, individual eye fillets were used.
Ms Patterson told the court that was because individual eye fillets were the only ones she could find.
The prosecutor suggested that was a lie and the truth was far more calculated.
"That choice to make individual portions allowed her complete control over the ingredients in each individual parcel," Dr Rogers said.
"It is a control … that she exercised with devastating effect.

"It allowed her to give the appearance of sharing in the same meal, whilst ensuring that she did not consume a beef Wellington parcel that she had laced with death cap mushrooms."




Erin Patterson made some changes to the beef Wellington recipe outlined in the cookbook she used. (ABC News, file photo)
Ms Patterson's decision to dump her food dehydrator (later found to contain death cap mushroom residue) at the tip and then lie to police about it was behaviour the prosecution said could be slotted together to form incriminating conduct.
"If there was nothing incriminating about the dehydrator, why hide it?" Dr Rogers rhetorically asked the jury.
"There is only one reasonable explanation: she knew it would incriminate her.

"She knew that she had dehydrated death cap mushrooms in that appliance and that she had done deliberately done so, and she knew that keeping it was going to be far too risky."
A crime 'beyond' comprehension put before jury

The prosecutor told the jury the evidence laid before them did not point to any "particular motive" for the crime, but this was not a requirement of the murder charges.
"The question is not why she did this," she said.
"The question you have to determine is: has the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused did this deliberately?"




Ian Wilkinson (left) survived the lunch but his wife Heather died, along with Don and Gail Patterson. (Supplied)
While not alleging a particular motive, the prosecution placed more pieces of trial evidence before the jury to fill out its puzzle.
Facebook messages with friends showed Ms Patterson's animosity towards her Patterson in-laws and mockery of their deeply held religious beliefs, Dr Rogers said.

"The accused was leading a duplicitous life when it came to the Pattersons,"

Dr Rogers said.
"She presented one side while expressing contrary beliefs to others."




Crown prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC told the jury it could safely find Ms Patterson guilty of the four charges. (AAP: James Ross)
In concluding her address, the prosecutor told the jury the legal bar for proving murder beyond reasonable doubt had been "well and truly met".
When all of the evidence was combined, Dr Rogers suggested the jury would be satisfied the accused had deliberately sought out death caps and served them to her relatives with malicious intent.
"One piece on its own or by itself might tell you not very much at all about what the picture is," she said.
"But as you start putting more and more pieces together and looking at it as a whole, the picture starts to become clear."
She said while jurors may feel the alleged murders were "too horrible, too cold and beyond your comprehension", they needed to remain focused on the evidence.
"Don't let your emotional reaction dictate your verdict, one way or the other," Dr Rogers said.
Defence tells jury to reject 'ridiculous' theories of prosecution

When Ms Patterson's defence barrister Colin Mandy SC rose to his feet, he told the jury the absence of an alleged motive meant the prosecution's jigsaw was incomplete.
"Without a motive, you're left guessing about the most important element of the offence in this trial and that's intention," Mr Mandy said.




Ms Patterson's defence lawyer Colin Mandy SC told the jury the prosecution's case relied on a misreading of the evidence.(AAP: James Ross)
He walked through some of the tense communications between the accused and her estranged husband Simon Patterson several months before the lunch.
But he said the picture they painted was a fairly ordinary one of two separated people managing the joint care of their young children.
"There is nothing unusual about it. In fact, quite the opposite," Mr Mandy said.
"It would be in some cases unusual if there wasn't that kind of spat or disagreement or frustration.

"And whatever we might call those spats and disagreements and frustrations, it doesn't provide any kind of motive to murder someone's parents and their aunt and uncle."

He accused the prosecution of putting before the jury a series of "ridiculous, convoluted propositions" that were not supported by the evidence.
He said Ms Patterson's simpler explanation of a dreadful "accident" was a truthful one that had emerged "unscathed" after days of cross-examination.
"Her account remained coherent and consistent, day after day after day, even when challenged, rapid fire, from multiple angles, repeatedly," he said.




Ms Patterson has told the court she never deliberately sought to harm her lunch guests. (AAP Image: James Ross)
Under that explanation, a Tupperware container in Ms Patterson's Leongatha pantry contained a mix of dried mushrooms from an Asian grocer and ones she had foraged from the Gippsland region.
In that mix, Mr Mandy suggested, were the death cap mushrooms later added to the lunch.
"The prosecution says she had them deliberately, the defence says she had them accidentally," he said.
He told them Ms Patterson's actions after the lunch were the panic of an innocent woman in the aftermath of a ghastly accident.
"Erin got into the witness box and told you, she did those things because she panicked when confronted with the terrible possibility, terrible realisation, that her actions had caused the illnesses of people that she loved," he said.
In closing, Mr Mandy told jurors the prosecution had tried to "force the evidence to fit their theory in a way that does not apply to jigsaw puzzle pieces".
"Stretching interpretations, ignoring alternative explanations because they don't align perfectly with the narrative," he said.
"Missing puzzle pieces in a jigsaw puzzle can make the picture incomplete, but missing evidence is much more significant."
He reminded the jury that if they did not accept all of Ms Patterson's evidence as truthful, they needed to set it to the side and consider whether the evidence actually existed to prove murder and attempted murder beyond reasonable doubt.
Stay up to date with the ABC's Mushroom Case Daily podcast

Photo shows An illustration of Erin Patterson with her face inside the shape of a mushroom.
The ABC's Mushroom Case Daily podcast brings you all the key updates from court involving accused triple murderer Erin Patterson, and an allegedly poisonous mushroom lunch.
After both sides in a trial that has astounded observers around the world had finished their address, the judge indicated the most important part lay ahead.
Justice Christopher Beale will begin delivering his final instructions to the jury on Tuesday, which he said would break down the legal principles at stake in the case.
After that, it will fall to the jury to begin piecing the puzzle together themselves

https://www.xxx.xxx.xx/news/2025-06-21/erin-patterson-mushroom-murder-trial-closing-addresses-to-jury/105440654

[Salsa dancer]

There is a clear chain of actions, but just about all of it can be rationalized somehow, to some degree or other. Except for the fact that she herself did not get sick.

[kingwilly]

Jurors in the murder trial of mushroom cook Erin Patterson have been taken to 15 alleged acts of incriminating conduct the prosecution claim point to her guilt.

Trial judge Justice Christopher Beale continued to deliver his summary of the evidence on Wednesday in the ninth week of Ms Patterson’s triple-murder trial.
Jurors returned to the courtroom on Wednesday afternoon as Justice Beale apologised for the morning’s delay before continuing his charge.
“Afternoon, ladies and gentlemen,” he said.
“I apologise for the inconvenience but there were matters we needed to discuss in depth.”
Justice Beale turned to the topic of alleged incriminating conduct, which he explained as acts the prosecution argues are “implied admissions of guilt”.

Erin Patterson has pleaded not guilty and maintains she did not intend to harm anyone. Picture: Supplied.
He said the prosecution argues the only reasonably explanation for the conduct is that Ms Patterson knew she was guilty, while the defence argues there are other reasonable explanations for the conduct.
The allegedly incriminating conduct includes:
1) She lied about being unwell and faked death cap mushroom poisoning;

2) She lied that she used dried mushrooms from an Asian grocery;
3) She refused treatment on her first presentation at Leongatha Hospital and discharged herself against medical advice;
4) She was reluctant to accept treatment for herself on her second presentation at Leongatha Hospital;
5) She was reluctant to obtain medical treatment for her children on July 31;
6) She lied that she had fed her children the leftover beef wellingtons with the mushrooms and pastry scrapped off;
7) She reset Phone B multiple times commencing on August 2;
8) She disposed of the dehydrator at the local tip;
9) On August 5 she provided police Phone B instead of her usual mobile phone which has never been recovered;
10) She lied to police during her record of interview on August 5 that the SIM in Phone B was her usual service;
11) She lied in her record of interview that she’d never foraged for mushrooms;
12) She lied in her record of interview about never using a dehydrator or dehydrating things;
14) She lied in her record of interview about owning a dehydrator;
15) She lied in her record of interview by saying she may have owed a dehydrator years ago.

Erin Patterson’s defence team Sophie Stafford and Colin Mandy SC arrives at the Latrobe Valley Court in Morwell. Picture: NewsWire / Diego Fedele
Ms Patterson, 50, is facing trial after pleading not guilty to murdering three members of her husband’s family; his parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson.
Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, survived the lunch and Ms Patterson has pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted murder relating to his illness.
Prosecutors allege she deliberately secreted death cap mushrooms in a beef wellington lunch she hosted on July 29, 2023, with the four as guests.
Her defence, led by Colin Mandy SC, has argued the case is an accidental poisoning and his client did not intend to harm anyone.

Shamen Fox-Henry gave evidence at the trial last month. Picture: NewsWire / David Geraghty
Judge explains arguments on digital evidence
Justice Beale moved on to the opinions on digital evidence offered by Victoria Police senior digital forensic officer Shaman Fox-Henry as an expert witness.
First he raises the digital records located on a Cooler Master computer seized by police the judge explains Mr Fox-Henry said showed a user navigate to the iNaturalist website on May 28, 2022, visit the world map for death cap sightings, narrow down to Victoria and view a sighting at Bricker Reserve in Moorabbin.
Justice Beale said the prosecution argues the jury can reasonably infer this was Ms Patterson and that she was aware of, and knew how to use iNaturalist to look up death cap sightings.

Crown Prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC (right) and prosecutor Jane Warren. Picture: NewsWire/Ian Currie
He reinforces there was no evidence in this case Ms Patterson accessed the two iNaturalist posts prosecutors allege she used to source death cap mushrooms.
Justice Beale says Ms Patterson’s defence say there was “little doubt” this was her, but argued this was a brief interaction and she visited to find out whether death caps grew in South Gippsland.
Second Justice Beale moves on to images located in the cache app data of Google Photos on a Samsung tablet which include mushrooms on a dehydrator tray.
One of these, mushroom expert Dr Tom May gave evidence were “consistent” with death caps, Justice Beale said.
The judge said prosecutors argue the jury can use the knowledge she purchased the dehydrator on April 28 and the last modified date of May 4 to infer these were death caps collected on April 28 at Loch.
He said Ms Patterson’s defence had argued its not possible to determine exactly when the photos were taken.
The third piece of evidence from Mr Fox-Henry the judge raised, was evidence that the phone Ms Patterson handed to police had been factory reset multiple times.
He explains that Mr Fox-Henry said it was reset on August 2, August 5 and wiped remotely on August 6.
Justice Beale said the prosecution had argued the jury could infer the August 5 reset occured while police was searching Ms Patterson’s home and the August 6 reset occured while the phone was in police custody.
He told jurors he would raise the arguments from parties about this later in his charge.
Jury taken to Ms Patterson’s evidence on computer searches
Justice Beale raised the evidence given by Victoria Police senior digital forensic officer Shaman Fox-Henry about computer records recovered from a Cooler Master computer located in Ms Patterson’s home.
He then turned to Ms Patterson’s evidence from the witness box about the searches.
Justice Beale said the accused woman had agreed Mr Fox-Henry gave evidence the Cooler Master accessed the iNaturalist website in May 2022, and navigated to a map of death cap sightings.
The judge said Ms Patterson had agreed someone looked up the map, that it was “possibly” her, but she did not remember.
“I don’t remember this internet search, it was possibly me, I remember wanting to find out at one point if death cap mushrooms grew in South Gippsland and finding out they did not,” he quoted her as saying.
Justice Beale said Ms Patterson gave evidence she didn’t recall ever using iNaturalist and did not have an “interest” in death caps other than checking if they grew in her area.

A court sketch of Erin Patterson in the witness box. Picture: NewsWire / Anita Lester
During his charge on Tuesday, Justice Beale explained to jurors they must “scrupulously guard” against feelings of sympathy for the Patterson and Wilkinson families.
“The issue is not whether she is in some sense responsible for the tragic consequences of the lunch, but whether the prosecution has proved beyond a reasonable doubt that she is criminally responsible for those consequences,” he said.
Justice Beale said the “mere fact” Ms Patterson prepared the lunch should not influence their decisions, but added he was “not asking you to be inhuman”
“None of us are robots,” he said.
“Any decent person would feel great sympathy for the Patterson and Wilkinson families, given what has befallen them, but you must scrupulously guard against that sympathy interfering with the performance of your duty.”

Lunch survivor Ian Wilkinson and family were present in court. Picture: NewsWire / Diego Fedele
Noting the “unprecedented” media coverage of the trial, Justice Beale said jurors must disregard outside information and decide the case solely on the evidence.
“You and you alone are best placed to decide whether the prosecution has proven their case beyond reasonable doubt. No one else,” he said.
Justice Beale told the jury it was for them alone to decide whether Ms Patterson is guilty or not guilty.
Providing an update on the progress of his charge, Justice Beale joked there was “no need to bring your toothbrush” on Wednesday.
The trial continues.

https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/courts-law/erin-patterson-trial-judge-tells-jury-they-must-scrupulously-guard-against-sympathy-for-patterson-and-wilkinson-families/news-story/b7a111a2d517b33aea98460502fe2ac9

[kingwilly]

Guilty.

[kingwilly]

Erin Patterson: Judge urged to give mushroom killer life imprisonment without parole


The judge set to deliver mushroom killer Erin Patterson’s sentence in two weeks time has been urged to find her crimes are “so horrific” she does not deserve a chance at parole.

Patterson, 50, was found guilty of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder last month relating to the lunch she hosted in the county Victorian town of Leongatha more than two years ago.
Gail and Don Patterson were killed, along with Heather Wilkinson after the lunch at Erin Patterson’s home, while Ian, Heather’s husband, survived.
Patterson faced a plea hearing in Victoria’s Supreme Court on Monday, where relatives of her victims faced her for the first time since the verdict.
Making submissions on behalf of the Crown, prosecutor Jane Warren drew Justice Christopher Beale’s attention to a sentencing comment made by retired judge Lex Lasry in another case.
“Sometimes a crime is so horrific, so callous and cruel that a step towards mercy is a step too far,” she quoted.

Patterson was helped from the prison van. Picture: NewsWire / Jason Edwards

And led into court. Picture: NewsWire / Jason Edwards
Ms Warren echoed the sentiment, arguing Patterson’s crimes were “worst category offending” and submitting Patterson did not deserve mercy, nor a chance to be freed in her 80s, a reference to Colin Mandy SC calling for a non-parole period of 30 years.
“It is a crime that is so horrific that the offender is not deserving of this court’s mercy,” she said.
Mushroom killer has ‘no remorse’

The court was told Patterson has shown no remorse and maintains her innocence.
Addressing the packed courtroom, Justice Beale remarked he’d read the 28 victim impact statements over the weekend.
“That family tree... brings home to you how this has affected four generations of the extended Wilkinson and Patterson families,” he said.
“The word ripple effect is often mentioned, more like a tsunami than a ripple.”
Justice Beale revealed he plans to sentence Patterson on September 8.
Crown suggests Patterson “lured” victims to kill husband
Ms Warren spelled out four aggravating features in the case which, she urged, Justice Beale to take into account.
These were: Patterson first planning to use death cap mushrooms on April 28, 2023, using a toxin to caused prolonged suffering, maintaining an intention to kill after the lunch and the elaborate attempt to conceal her crimes.
On the prosecution case, Ms Warren said, Patterson had an intention to kill someone from April 28 when she travelled to Loch and later purchased the dehydrator.
The prosecutor said Justice Beale could find she went search for death caps on this date, with a photograph of death caps dehydrating taken sometime between that day and May 4.
“We don’t say she had the intention to kill her ultimate victims,” Ms Warren said.

The court was told a mushroom expert had a “high confidence” this image on Patterson’s tablet was death cap mushrooms. Picture: Supplied by the Court
Instead prosecutors allege Patterson had formed the intent to kill Don, Gail, Ian, Heather and Simon on July 16 when she invited them to the lunch.
“Our argument was she was using effectively a group setting to try and persuade Simon to attend,” she said.
After the lunch, the Crown argued Patterson maintained a firm resolve to kill her guests and could have provided doctors information to better treat the guests within the first 24 to 36 hours.
While it would be speculation to claim the outcome may change, Ms Warren said, it could have “changed the course of their treatment”.
Defence not quibbling with a life sentence: court
Beginning his submissions on sentencing, Mr Mandy told the court Patterson’s defence would not be arguing for anything other than life imprisonment.
“Consistent with the jury’s verdict there can be no argument the acts where deliberate and the intention was to kill,” he said.
But Mr Mandy said there issue between the parties was whether Justice Beale should set a non-parole period.
He argued that unless it was in the interest of justice not to do so the court must fix a non-parole period of 30 years.
Mr Mandy said his client would around the age of 80 when she became eligible for parole.
He suggested it was possible Patterson would remain in protective custody for the entire period of her incarceration, noting “she will always be at risk from other prisoners”.

Patterson would be around 80 when released from prison if the court set a non-parole period of 30 years. Picture: NewsWire/ David Crosling
‘Notorious’: Patterson subject to vitriol, lawyer claims
Questioning Ms Hosking on Patterson’s custody arrangements and whether she would ever be moved out of the restrictive Gordon unit, Mr Mandy suggested his client was “notorious”.
The court was told guidelines require monthly reviews to ensure the safety and security of the individual prisoner and other prisoners.
“While Ms Patterson remains notorious there would be a risk?” Mr Mandy asked.
“I’m not saying and I would never say she will stay where she is for the entirety of her sentence,” Ms Hosking replied.
Mr Mandy suggested his client remains notorious and “she remains the subject of vitriol from other prisoners”.
New details on Patterson’s prison contact
Patterson’s lawyer has suggested that Patterson has never said a single word to the one prisoner she has access to while in the Gordon unit.
“I suggest she has never spoken one word to that other prisoner,” Colin Mandy SC asked.
Ms Hosking said Patterson had approval for contact but she was not sure how frequently.
“I can’t deny that, it could be a range of reasons; it could be that other person or her not wanting communication,” she said.
Mr Mandy said the prisoner was in custody on terrorism offences and was one of only two other women present in the Gordon unit longer than Patterson.
“They’ve attacked other prisoners while they’ve been in custody,” he questioned.
“That’s correct,” Ms Hosking said.
Ms Hosking said Patterson could request access to other prisoners, which would require a formal approval process.

Erin Patterson discharged herself from hospital after the deadly mushroom lunch.
Details of Patterson’s limited communication revealed
The court was told Patterson had spent the past 14 months in the restrictive Gordon unit, with the position reviewed monthly for safety.
Ms Hosking said she agreed Patterson had limited contact with other prisoners, but noted she had “communication yard access” with another unnamed woman.
Through a mesh fence the pair can communicate whenever they’re both outside.
Ms Hosking disagreed with a suggestion by Patterson’s solicitors that she “does not expect ever to be transferred” back to the Murray unit.
“We wish to reduce restrictions whenever we can,” she said.
Details of her prison life at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre in Ravenhall, west of Melbourne, have been detailed on Monday afternoon.
Describing Patterson’s time in custody, Corrections Victoria Assistant Commissioner for the sentence management division Jennifer Hosking said she was aware the mushroom killer was a keen crocheter and had yarn and projects in her cell.
During hearings ahead of the trial, Patterson was often observed crocheting a multi-coloured scarf on videolink.
‘Major offender’
Appearing via a video link, Ms Hosking told the court Patterson was received into custody on November 3, 2023.
“She was ascribed major offender status due to the high volume of media attention,” she said.
Ms Hosking said Patterson was initially kept in the small Gorden unit, which has about 20 cells, for the first six weeks before being moved into the Murray unit which has more freedoms.
“They are able to interact with each other more freely,” she said of the unit.
The court was told the Murray unit contains a garden, kitchenettes and central TV areas to allow women in protective custody to mix.
Ms Hosking said Patterson was placed back into the restrictive Gordon unit on June 9, 2024, due to security concerns amid extensive media coverage.

Erin Patterson’s legal team (from left): Sophie Stafford, Ophelia Hollway and Colin Mandy SC. Picture: NewsWire / David Geraghty
Ms Hosking said under Patterson’s conditions she was entitled to a minimum of one hour out of her cell per day and offered support services.
She told the court that while Patterson initially accessed Ms P was offered those services and did engage for a period of time. She is still able to access that most recently refused to engage and has not access chaplaincy services.
Mr Mandy suggested his client had used the service at least half a dozen times, which Ms Hosking said she was unable to refute.
Court resumes after break
Patterson has returned to the dock as the afternoon sitting of her plea hearing gets underway, clutching a manila folder stuffed with sheets of paper.
Before the break, Justice Beale said a video link had been scheduled for a representative of the Corrections Victoria to give evidence on the impact of incarceration on Patterson at 2.15pm.
She has spent much of the past two years behind bars at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre maximum security women’s prison in Melbourne since her arrest in November 2023 – about three months after the deadly lunch.
Family tree of Patterson and Wilkinson families released
A family tree of both the Patterson and Wilkinson families prepared by prosecutors ahead of the plea hearing has been released by the Victorian Supreme Court. The chart lists the members and relations between the two families, with the notable exception of Erin Patterson.

A family tree of the Patterson and Wilkinson families prepared for Erin Patterson's pre-sentence hearing. Picture: NewsWire / Supreme Court of Victoria.
Court adjourns
Court is now breaking until 2.15pm when the Corrections officer will give evidence.
Erin Patterson is removed from the dock at 11.20am and leaves the court.
Patterson has been handcuffed and returned to the cells on the second level of the building.
Ian Wilkinson’s recovery described as ‘miraculous’ by Simon
The final victim impact statement read to the court came from Patterson’s husband, Simon Patterson.
Simon is not present in court and the short statement is being read by a relative.

Simon Patterson, the estranged husband of Erin, is not at the hearing on Monday. Picture. NewsWire/Nadir Kinani
In his statement, Simon wrote that he missed his parents and aunt “more than words can express” but was grateful to know they were with God.
Simon said each were physically fit and healthy, noting that if their parents’ lifespans were an indication, they would have lived to 100.
He tells the court he will spend the next three decades aware they would still be alive “had Erin not decided to murder them”.
“Praise God that at least Ian miraculously survived.”
Simon said he was grateful for the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Don, Gail and Heather’s faith.

A mural of mushroom cook murderer Erin Patterson was painted in Melbourne, with ‘Guilty’ now scrawled across it.. Picture: NewsWire / Nadir Kinani
Children ‘robbed of hope’: Simon says
Patterson’s husband then turns to the impact felt by the two children they share.
He said their lives have been damaged by her crimes, saying that while they lived with him full time the “grim reality” is that their family is broken.
“They have also been robbed of hope for the kind of relationship with their mother that every child naturally has,” he said.
“The grim reality is they live in an irreparably broken home with a solo parent when almost everybody knows their mother murdered their grandparents.”
Simon then urged the public to leave their family alone to heal, noting there had been some “deplorable behaviour” from members of the media.
He said he’d been filmed in public and had “strangers brandishing notebooks” banging on his home window.

Patterson pleaded not guilty in May 2024, but was convicted after nine weeks of evidence. Picture: NewsWire / Paul Tyquin
‘Evil at play’: Don’s brother raised concern
A statement from Donald Patterson’s younger brother, Colin Patterson, was read to the court by his daughter.
He said a diary note from July 30, 2023, captured his fears from the day after the lunch.
“Don and Gail are in hospital after a lunch at Erin’s; coincidence or is there evil at play here?” the diary entry read.
Colin described Patterson as the author of the carefully calculated and executed demise of his loved ones.
“I only heard of Don’s passing the next day and wrote that I felt at ease… I wonder if something is broken in me,” he said.
“I find it difficult to comprehend this new world.
“There was a strange sense of peace that came when I learned my worst fears had come to pass.”
Colin said he was left asking why Patterson had turned her hidden wrath towards these selfless people.

The beef wellington leftovers after the fateful meal. Source: Supplied
Simon Patterson missing from hearing
A notable absence from Patterson’s plea hearing is her estranged husband Simon Patterson.
Previously the court was told the pair remain married however Simon feared his wife had poisoned him on several occasions in the lead up to the lunch.
Simon is not present in court alongside his family members.
‘Difficult to comprehend’
Among the 28 statements given to the court was one from Donald’s brother Colin. It was read by his daughter.
In it, he said a diary note from July 30, 2023, captured his fears from the day after the lunch.
“Don and Gail are in hospital after a lunch at Erin’s; coincidence or is there evil at play here?” the diary entry read.
Colin described Patterson as the author of the carefully calculated and executed demise of his loved ones.
“I only heard of Don’s passing the next day and wrote that I felt at ease… I wonder if something is broken in me,” he said.
“I find it difficult to comprehend this new world.
“There was a strange sense of peace that came when I learned my worst fears had come to pass.”
Colin said he was left asking why Patterson had turned her hidden wrath towards these selfless people.
‘Worst week of his life’: Tim Patterson says deaths haunt family
Tim Patterson, the nephew of Don and Gail and Simon’s cousin, described the death of family members as a “nightmare that became real”.
He question how one could measure what is a deep sense of loss.
“What I do know is the week following was the worst of my life,” he said.
“Why would God choose such a violent end for those who gave their lives to him?”
COUNTDOWN TO TRAGEDY



























Apr 28, 2023
Prosecutors allege Erin Patterson, left, travelled to Loch, where Christine McKenzie, right, posted a sighting of death cap mushrooms on iNaturalist 10 days earlier, to search for the deadly mushroom. Two hours later she buys a Sunbeam Food Lab dehydrator from Betta Home Living, Leongatha, for $229.











‘We all had to suffer’: Sister says of killings
Heather Wilkinson and Gail Patterson’s sister Lynette Young’s statement was read to the court by Crown prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC.
Dr Rogers said Lynette wrote that their father suffered in the aftermath of the lunch.
“... knowing two of his daughters had been poisoned, then his son-in-law, Don died, dad was watching and waiting as Ian struggled for his life,” she said.

Ruth Dubois (left) with her father and sister. Picture: NewsWire/ David Crosling
‘Difficult to comprehend’: Patterson slammed for premeditated killing
Ian and Heather Wilkinson’s daughter, Ruth Dubois was second to deliver a victim impact statement to the court.
She said the murders had “changed every part of my life”.
“It’s difficult to comprehend how someone could spend months planning this out… but instead at every step of the way she chose to follow through” Ms Dubois said.
“I’m horrified that our family is even associated, through no fault of our own, with such destructive behaviour towards the community.”
Ms Dubois said her children had been forced to witness first hand how cruel and unkind the world can be.
“As a mother I could never understand how you willingly chose this for your children,” she said.

Erin Patterson was convicted earlier this year of three murders and one attempted murder. Picture: Supplied / Supreme Court of Victoria
Offer of forgiveness made to Erin Patterson
Ian Wilkinson has turned to the impact of Patterson’s actions, labelling her efforts a “callous and calculated disregard for my life and those I live”.
“What foolishness thinks murder a solution to their problems,” he said.
The pastor said he offered Patterson forgiveness to the crimes done “to me”.
“In regard to the many harms done to me I make an offer of forgiveness to Erin,” he said.
“I have no power or responsibility to forgive harms done to others… In regard to the murders of Heather, Don and Gail, I am compelled to seek justice.”
Mr Wilkinson said he prayed Patterson would use her time in jail to become a better person.
“No longer am I a victim of Erin Patterson, now she is a victim of my kindness,” he ended.
‘Deep wounds’: Ian details impact
Korumburra Baptist Church pastor and lunch survivor Ian Wilkinson begins his victim impact statement by detailing his relationship with Heather Wilkinson.
On several occasions his voice began to falter as he stood at the bar table speaking.
Heather was described as “compassionate, brave and witty” saying the biggest impact for him was her untimely death.
“It’s a truly horrible thought to live with that someone would decide to take her life — I only feel half alive without her,” he said.
“So much attention is showered on those who do evil and so little on those who do good.”
Ian describes Heather as a wonderful wife, with whom he spent 44 years.
“Heather was always supportive and encouraging to me, she was wise and had skills that made up for my shortcomings,” he said.
“Heather was a great mother to our four children, we decided together she would be a stay at home mum.
“I think that the way our children conducted themselves through the crisis of our illness and the subsequent legal proceedings was testament to her mothering skills.”
Evidence this afternoon will contain details of Patterson’s incarceration
Justice Beale raises that a video link has been scheduled for 2.15pm.
He says Ms Hoskings, from Corrections, will give evidence on Patterson’s incarceration.

Heather Wilkinson passed away after ingesting poisonous mushrooms, Ian told the court of the impact of her death. Pic: Supplied (Facebook)
Hearing to begin with Ian Wilkinson’s victim impact statement
All rise in the courtroom as Justice Christopher Beale enters the courtroom shortly after 10.30am and the matter is called on for hearing.
Patterson is asked to stand as His Honour’s associate takes her particulars; her date of birth, her age, her last occupation and her last known address.
Crown Prosecutor Nannette Rogers SC then flags there is an admissibility issue to raise for the victim impact statement of Ian Wilkinson’s daughter Ruth Dubois.
The court is told the first stage would be the reading of seven victim impact statements, beginning with Ian Wilkinson.
Erin Patterson enters court
Led by two custody officers, Patterson entered the large wood-panneled and pink-walled courtroom 4 about 10.25am.
About 15 minutes earlier, the court opened to members of the Patterson and Wilkinson family, media, police and the general public.
There are about 100 people filling up benches across the two levels of the public gallery.
Patterson wore a paisley top over black pants, pausing briefly as her friend Alison Rose Prior stood to greet her.
The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10.30am.
Her junior barrister Sophie Stafford approached for a brief whispered discussion with Patterson.
At the hearing, lawyers from the prosecution and defence will make submissions they want the judge to consider when deciding Patterson’s sentence.

She wore a brown cardigan. Picture: NewsWire / Jason Edwards
It will also give members of her victims’ families the opportunity to deliver statements outlining the impact of her crimes.
Earlier this month, prosecutor Jane Warren flagged that it was expected two days would be needed for the hearing because much of the first day would be spent hearing “a lot” of victim impact statements.
These would likely include Patterson’s husband, Simon Patterson, and lunch survivor Ian Wilkinson.

The deadly meal unfolded at her Leongatha home. Picture : NewsWire / Ian Currie

​

Mushroom killer Erin Patterson dumps dehydrator in newly revealed footage
The incident was just 4... more

Following a trial that spanned 11 weeks, a jury found Patterson guilty on three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder on July 7.
The charges related to a lunch she hosted with Simon’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson and her husband Ian on July 29, 2023.
Patterson also invited Simon, however he pulled out of the lunch the night before because he feared she had poisoned him previously.
Allegations of attempted murder relating to Simon’s unexplained illnesses in the year before the lunch were withdrawn by prosecutors ahead of the trial.
The trial was told the lunch was out of the ordinary for Patterson, with the killer cook lying to her guests that the reason for the meal was to ask for advice about a non-existent cancer diagnosis.
Hours after the lunch, each of the guests fell ill with vomiting and diarrhoea and were rushed to hospital the following morning.

Lunch survivor Ian Wilkinson gave evidence during the trial. Picture: NewsWire/ David Crosling
Heather and Gail died on August 4, Don died on August 5 while Ian survived after spending about a month and a half in hospital.
At trial, prosecutors argued Patterson deliberately sought out and picked death cap mushrooms for the lunch and feigned her own symptoms.
Her defence, on the other hand, maintained she did not deliberately poison anyone, labelling the case a horrible foraging accident.
Her barrister, Colin Mandy SC, has indicated she intends to appeal.

https://www.news.com.au/national/vic...8e86c8f674d106

[harrybarracuda]

Australian mother jailed for life after serving poisonous mushroom lunch

An Australian mother who murdered her estranged husband's parents and aunt by feeding them a beef wellington laced with poisonous mushrooms has been jailed for life with a minimum of 33 years.

Erin Patterson, 50, lured her former parents-in-law Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail Patterson's sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66, to lunch at her home in Leongatha, Victoria, on 29 July 2023.

Mrs Wilkinson's husband, Reverend Ian Wilkinson, also ate the meal, which was served alongside mashed potatoes and green beans, but survived after receiving a liver transplant and spending months in hospital.

Patterson, a mother-of-two, had made the pastry dish with deadly death cap mushrooms, also known as amanita phalloides.

At the sentencing hearing at the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne, Justice Christopher Beale said the substantial planning of the murders and Patterson's lack of remorse meant her sentence should be lengthy.

"The devastating impact of your crimes is not limited to your direct victims. Your crimes have harmed a great many people," he said.

"Not only did you cut short three lives and cause lasting damage to Ian Wilkinson's health, thereby devastating the
extended Patterson and Wilkinson families, you inflicted untold suffering on your own children, whom you robbed of their beloved grandparents."

Patterson's trial in Morwell, southern Australia, heard that she fabricated a cancer diagnosis to use as an excuse not to invite her children, pretending to want to discuss how to break the news to them after the meal.

The four guests fell ill immediately after eating her food. Mrs Wilkinson and Mrs Patterson died on 4 August, and Mr Patterson a day later.

Reverend Wilkinson spent seven weeks in hospital but survived.

In his victim impact statement, he said the poisoned food meant he had to have a liver transplant and was left feeling "half alive".

Patterson, who maintains her innocence and that she poisoned her victims by accident, also invited the father of her children, Simon Patterson, to the fatal meal.

He declined the invitation.

In his victim impact statement, Mr Patterson said of the couple's children: "The grim reality is they live in an irreparably broken home with only a solo parent, when almost everyone else knows their mother murdered their grandparents."

In July, Patterson was found guilty of murdering Don and Gail Patterson, and Heather Wilkinson, and attempting to murder Ian Wilkinson.

Australian mother jailed for life after serving poisonous mushroom lunch | World News | Sky News

[kingwilly]

Life in jail. 33 years non-parole.

.https://www.news.com.au/national/vic...4030bb77890de2