4 weeks Ago
Awful Accident," Not Murder, Claims Defence
Patterson has denied three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder after serving a lunch of beef Wellington in July 2023 that included the deadly death cap mushrooms. Days later, her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, 70, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, died. Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson, survived, but he needed serious treatment.
Prosecutors say she intentionally used the mushrooms but her defence maintains it was an error. Under questioning on the witness stand, Patterson acknowledged that death cap mushrooms were in the dish, but claimed she had not deliberately served anything toxic. She said she picked wild mushrooms from places such as botanic gardens and trails, and occasionally mixed them with store-bought mushrooms.
Mushrooms, Mistrust and Family Pressure
Patterson detailed her foraging behavior, saying she'd started sampling the wild mushrooms in small amounts, and had even purchased a food dehydrator in 2023 to make them last beyond their short season. She said the mushrooms in the meal were predominantly store-bought from a supermarket in Leongatha, but some were obtained from an Asian grocery in Melbourne.
Patterson informed the court that her relationship with her ex-husband, Simon Patterson, turned sour regarding money matters in late 2022, and she would bring in her in-laws to act as mediators. Texts read out in court demonstrated her anger at Simon and his parents - yet she said she felt deep remorse.
Patterson also testified about her health fears, telling the court she did not trust the medical system after previous experiences with the care of her children. This distrust guided her to check herself out of the hospital against doctors' orders after the fatal lunch. She acknowledged feeling health anxiety, searching symptoms online regularly and thinking that she had multiple horrible conditions.
While telling lunch guests she had ovarian cancer, she conceded in court that she had never been diagnosed but said she had a family history of the disease.
The trial is scheduled to resume on Wednesday with testimony to be given by Erin Patterson.
