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Mushroom Poisoning Trial: New Details Emerge in Australian Beef Wellington Case
An Australian woman is currently on trial, accused of murder in a case involving a beef wellington laced with poisonous mushrooms. The prosecution alleges Erin Patterson, 50, served the lethal dish to her estranged husband’s parents and an aunt, resulting in their deaths.
Erin Patterson faces charges related to the 2023 deaths of her former parents-in-law, Don Patterson, 70, and Gail Patterson, 70, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66. She is also accused of the attempted murder of Heather’s husband, Reverend Ian Wilkinson.
Patterson has entered a plea of not guilty to all charges.
The trial, underway at the Supreme Court of Victoria since late April, has featured testimony from Patterson’s estranged husband, Simon Patterson, and the sole survivor of the alleged poisoning, Reverend Wilkinson.
Their testimonies have revealed key information regarding the events surrounding the incident.
Here’s what we know so far about the case and Patterson’s prior responses to the allegations:
The Deadly Invitation
On July 29, 2023, Patterson invited the four alleged victims to her home in Leongatha, near Melbourne, for lunch. Her estranged husband, Simon Patterson, was also on the guest list.
Simon Patterson testified that his relationship with Erin had deteriorated significantly by late 2022, despite an amicable separation in 2015.
He explained that listing them as financially separated on a tax return led to child support payments, which meant he would no longer directly cover their children’s private school fees.
Mr. Patterson, visibly emotional, told the court, “I was sure she was very upset about that.”
Due to their strained relationship, he repeatedly declined invitations to his estranged wife’s home for lunch, including the fateful one.
He informed the court that he did not feel comfortable attending.
Text messages presented in court revealed Erin’s disappointment at his decision, expressing that she had invested time and money in preparing the “special meal.”
Reverend Wilkinson testified that Patterson inquired with his wife, Heather, about their availability for the lunch.
He stated that most of their interactions with Patterson occurred at social occasions, like Christmas parties at Don and Gail Patterson’s home.
“There was no reason given for the lunch, and I remember talking to Heather wondering why the sudden invitation,” Mr. Wilkinson told the court.
Nonetheless, he said they were “very happy to be invited.”
The couple later learned that Don and Gail were also invited.
Patterson’s daughter stated in court that her mother arranged a cinema outing for her and her brother ahead of the lunch.
Reverend Wilkinson’s Account of the Lunch
The four guests arrived at Patterson’s residence together. Reverend Wilkinson, then 68, recalled his wife’s interest in seeing Patterson’s pantry, as she was organizing a similar space in their own home.
According to the testimony, Patterson seemed “very reluctant” to show them the pantry. Wilkinson assumed it might be disorganized but didn’t investigate further.
He also recounted that Heather and Gail offered to assist with plating the food. However, Patterson declined their offers and prepared the plates herself.
Each plate contained mashed potatoes, green beans, and a beef Wellington.
Prosecutors assert that Patterson knowingly contaminated the beef pastry dish with deadly death cap mushrooms (Amanita phalloides).
Patterson contends that the mushrooms were a combination of store-bought button mushrooms and dried mushrooms from an Asian grocery store in Melbourne purchased months earlier and kept in a hand-labelled packet.
Reverend Wilkinson noted that the guests were served on large grey dinner plates, while Patterson used a smaller, tan-colored plate.
He remembered his wife mentioning this detail after they became ill.
The reverend said that he and his wife ate their full servings, while Don consumed his own and half of his wife’s.
Reverend Wilkinson further stated that Patterson falsely claimed to have cancer after the meal, implying the lunch was intended for her to seek advice on how to inform her children about the illness.
The prosecution argues this was a ruse to justify the children’s absence.
The defense acknowledges that Patterson lied about having cancer.
Aftermath: Children Ate Leftovers?
By midnight on the day of the lunch, all four alleged victims were experiencing severe vomiting and diarrhea.
Patterson claims she also fell ill hours after the meal.
Her daughter testified that she remembers Patterson mentioning she had diarrhea that night.
The four guests were hospitalized the following day, with liver tests showing "abnormal" results.
Patterson asserts that she and her children ate leftovers from the beef wellington on the same day. Her daughter corroborated this, recalling that her mother didn’t eat much because she wasn’t feeling well.
Patterson stated she scraped the mushrooms off the plates beforehand, knowing her children disliked them.
Patterson went to the hospital two days after the lunch and initially discharged herself against medical advice, the court heard.
While she had mild symptoms, tests revealed no toxins consistent with death cap mushroom poisoning, according to the prosecution.
A nurse at the hospital testified that Patterson “didn’t look unwell like Ian and Heather,” who were also at the same hospital.
Hospital personnel reported that Patterson resisted doctors’ attempts to have her children tested after she mentioned they had eaten some leftovers, stating she didn’t want to frighten them.
Gail and Heather died on Friday, August 4, 2023, and Don died a day later.
Reverend Wilkinson remained in the hospital for seven weeks before recovering.
Law enforcement officials previously stated that the symptoms of all four who became ill aligned with poisoning from Amanita phalloides, or death cap mushrooms, which are responsible for 90% of toxic mushroom-related fatalities.
Legal Proceedings and Patterson’s Defense
Following the deaths, authorities initiated a homicide investigation and identified Patterson as a suspect.
Prosecutors state that Patterson denied ever possessing a food dehydrator. However, police located one belonging to her at a nearby disposal site, which contained death cap mushrooms.
Patterson was formally charged on November 2, 2023. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The prosecution asserts that they are not suggesting a specific motive but believe Patterson intentionally poisoned the victims with murderous intent.
Patterson’s Statements
Patterson has consistently proclaimed her innocence, describing the deaths as a “terrible accident.”
She provided a voluntary statement to police in 2023, detailing the events before and after the lunch.
In the statement, she expressed her desire to “clear up the record” because she was “extremely stressed and overwhelmed by the deaths of my loved ones” and was hospitalized herself after the meal.
She maintained that she had “absolutely no reason to hurt these people whom I loved.”
Patterson’s trial is expected to last until early June.