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The trial of a woman accused of murdering three members of her family by serving them a death cap mushroom-laced beef Wellington is under way in Victoria.
Alleged mushroom cook Erin Patterson, 50, is being tried in her own community, at the La Trobe Valley courthouse in the mining town of Morwell, in regional Victoria, about 150 kilometres south-east of Melbourne.
The mother is facing three counts of murder and one of attempted murder.
She is accused of murdering her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Don Patterson and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson.
She is accused of the attempted murder of Heather’s husband Ian Wilkinson.
Patterson pleads not guilty to the charges and has always maintained her innocence.
What the jury has been told:
- Erin Patterson’s former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, as well as Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson and her husband Ian
- Erin’s ex-husband Simon was also invited but he declined the invitation
- Individual portions of beef wellington with mashed potatoes and green beans
- The guests’ meals were served on large grey-coloured dinner plates, while Erin served hers on a smaller tan/orange plate
- For dessert, they ate a cake Gail brought and a fruit platter prepared by Heather
What was said at the lunch?
- Erin told the guests she had been diagnosed with cancer and wanted advice on whether she should tell her children
- The group said grace and also prayed together after the lunch
What happened to the guests after the lunch?
- Heather, Ian, Don and Gail started having nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting around midnight on July 29
- All were hospitalised locally by 9.30am on July 30
- Don and Gail were transferred to Dandenong Hospital’s intensive care unit on the evening of July 30, while the Wilkinsons joined them the next morning
- All were eventually transferred to the Austin Hospital as their conditions declined
- Heather died on August 4 with a diagnosis of death cap mushroom poisoning. Gail died 15 hours later from the same condition
- Don died from death cap mushroom poisoning about 11.30pm on August 5
- Ian Wilkinson’s condition improved and he was discharged into the rehabilitation ward on September 11
What did Erin Patterson do after the lunch?
- Erin and the children had mashed potatoes, beans and meat for dinner on July 30. The children were told they were leftovers from the lunch
- Erin presented to Leongatha Hospital at 8am on July 31, complaining of diarrhoea
- She returned two hours later and doctors started treatment for potential poisoning, given the state of the other lunch guests
- Erin was transported to Monash Medical Centre four hours later. Her children also went to hospital but had no symptoms
- Erin had no clinical signs of death cap mushroom poisoning when was assessed by doctors so was discharged from hospital
- Erin deliberately poisoned the guests at the lunch
- She lied to her guests about having cancer
- She did not consume any death cap mushrooms and pretended to suffer the same symptoms as her guests
- Erin did not serve any of the lunch leftovers to her children
- She lied about where she sourced the mushrooms for the beef wellington – they did not come from an Asian grocer
- She disposed of a dehydrator which contained death cap mushroom remnants to conceal what she had done
- It’s not disputed that four people became very sick because of a lunch they had at Erin’s home
- It’s not an issue that the cause of the illnesses was death cap mushrooms
- She did not deliberately serve poisoned food to her guests and is not a murderer – it was instead a “tragedy and a terrible accident”
- There was intense police, public health and media scrutiny immediately following the lunch so Erin did and said things that were not well thought out
- She was sick as she had eaten some of the lunch, just not as sick as her guests
Erin Patterson’s admitted lies
- She lied to police about getting rid of the dehydrator
- She lied to officers about foraging for mushrooms but still denied ever deliberately seeking out death cap mushrooms
- She lied about having cancer
How long is the trial and where is it being held?
- Five to six weeks
- In Morwell in Victoria’s Gippsland, about 60 kilometres north of where the lunch happened
Who are the lawyers are the judge?
- Colin Mandy SC and Sophie Stafford are representing Erin Patterson
- Dr Nanette Rogers SC, Jane Warren and Sarah Lenthall are for the prosecution
- Justice Christopher Beale is presiding over the trial
LISTEN NOW: The Mushroom Trial
Say Grace is the latest podcast from Nine and The Age. Join journalists Penelope Liersch and Erin Pearson as they take listeners inside the case that’s grabbed global headlines. You can listen on Apple here and Spotify here.
