Australian woman on trial for poisonous mushroom murders 'hid mushrooms in child's lunch'

An Australian host who serves a weekend family meal is facing prosecution for allegedly killing her ex-husband’s parents and his aunt using toxic mushrooms. She also stands accused of trying to poison his uncle. On Wednesday, prosecutor Nanette Rogers began presenting evidence against Erin Patterson, aged 50, at the Victoria state Supreme Court. Patterson has entered a plea of not guilty to these accusations.

On July 29, 2023, she prepared beef Wellington along with mashed potatoes and green beans for dinner at her house located in the countryside town of Leongaratha. The attendees were her parents-in-law, Gail and Don Patterson, who are both 70 years old; Gail Patterson’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, aged 66; and Heather's spouse, Ian Wilkinson, 68 years old.

All four guests were hospitalised the next day with poisoning from death cap mushrooms, also known as amanita phalloides, that were added to the beef and pastry dish. Ian Wilkinson survived after a liver transplant.

Erin Patterson's spouse, Simon Patterson, aged 50, received an invitation for the luncheon but chose to decline.

On Tuesday, the court heard that prosecutors had decided to drop three charges against Erin Patterson for allegedly trying to kill her husband, with whom she has been living apart since 2015.

The court heard that Patterson had previously dehydrated mushrooms and added them to her daughter's muffins without telling her. She claimed she did this because her daughter had said she didn't like mushrooms.

The court heard that she had secretly added powdered mushrooms to chocolate brownies prepared for her kids.

Two weeks prior to the poisoning incident, Erin Patterson extended an invite for lunch to her husband and his family members as she attended a service at the Korumburra Baptist Church, with Pastor Ian Wilkinson leading the session. Initially, Simon Patterson agreed to this arrangement.

Rogers stated that she mentioned the aim of the luncheon was to address certain medical concerns she has and seek guidance on how to inform her children.

"The defendant mentioned that it was crucial the children weren't around during lunch time," Rogers noted.

The Wilkinsons were taken aback by the invite since they had never visited Erin Patterson's sizable five-bedroom home.

The following morning, when Heather Wilkinson was admitted to the hospital, she informed Simon Patterson that she found it odd for Erin Patterson to be eating off a separate plate compared to what was provided to the attendees.

"Heather Wilkinson mentioned that she observed Erin serving herself onto a separate plate from everyone else’s. This particular plate featured colorful designs. She couldn’t help but wonder what prompted this difference. Since their mealtime at noon, Heather has been contemplating the reason behind it," stated the prosecution during the hearing.

Simon Patterson told his aunt that his wife might have run out of plates.

Rogers informed the jury that Erin Patterson invented a false claim of having ovarian cancer to account for why her children were absent from the lunch.

"After lunch, the accused revealed that she had cancer and sought guidance on whether to inform the children or withhold this information from them," Rogers stated.

Rogers mentioned they debated whether it was best to be truthful with the children. The group also prayed together for the wellbeing and wise judgment of the accused when it came to informing the children.

The defense attorney, Colin Mandy, informed the jury that his client did not have cancer and suggested that the guests were poisoned due to mushrooms she had provided, though he maintained that this incident occurred unintentionally.

Mandy stated that what occurred was indeed a tragedy, a dreadful accident.

Rogers informed the jury members that she would not be offering a reason behind the poisonings.

“You may be pondering now why the accused acted in such a manner? What could their incentive have been? This question might linger with you until the conclusion of this trial,” Rogers stated. “It’s not necessary for you to concur with what the motivation was or whether there was one at all.”

Two days following the luncheon, Erin Patterson sought medical attention at the hospital due to symptoms of diarrhea and nausea. At this point, healthcare professionals had identified that those who attended were afflicted with death cap mushroom poisoning.

Erin Patterson informed officials that she had prepared a dish using a combination of fresh mushrooms purchased from a supermarket and dried ones bought from an Asian grocery store.

Mandy stated that her client had deceived the police when she claimed she did not gather wild mushrooms.

"He gathered some mushrooms. To clarify, he insists that he never intentionally looked for death cap mushrooms," Mandy stated.

The doctors maintained that both of Erin Patterson's children, who were 9 and 14 at the time, should undergo testing as their mother mentioned they had consumed leftover beef Wellington.

Erin Patterson stated that the children were safe as she had removed the pastry and mushrooms from the steak. She mentioned that the reason was because the children did not enjoy mushrooms.

Rogers stated that Erin Patterson did not consume toxic mushrooms nor gave her kids the leftover lunch. Mandy claimed she ingested the mushrooms yet experienced milder symptoms compared to the rest.

The hearing was postponed till Thursday and is anticipated to last about six weeks. She faces three charges of murder along with one charge of attempted murder. The offense of murder can result in a sentence of life imprisonment, whereas attempted murder could lead to up to 25 years behind bars.