Hello and welcome to the Mushroom Murder Trial podcast, your go-to source for detailed updates on this gripping legal case. I'm Lisa, your host and podcaster, who's been tracking this case since 2023. The jury was given a day off today, monday, so the court could deal with a few administrative issues relating to the trial. Tomorrow, hearings will proceed as scheduled in the Supreme Court of Melbourne Sorry, I should say the Supreme Court of Victoria in Morwell. But before we dive into the rest of our news, don't forget to sign up for the newsletter mushroommurdertrialcom, and make sure you subscribe to this podcast, please. That way you won't miss a thing. Now to the formalities, before we move on to what unfolded in court. Now you may wonder why I actually do these, and it's just because it's a defamation risk. There could be another Erin Patter, who's 50 in Victoria, and they could actually say we were reporting on them when we're not. So I just need to be careful.
Speaker 1:Erin Trudy Patterson, a 50-year-old woman from Leangatha, is facing, but denies three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. She stands accused of intentionally serving a dish made with death cap mushrooms to her former in-laws and extended family during a lunch at her home on July 29, 2023, an allegation which she denies. Following their tragic family lunch, don and Gail Patterson, both aged 70, along with Gail's sister, 66-year-old Heather Wilkinson, passed away. Ian Wilkinson, heather's husband, was also hospitalised in a critical condition but managed to survive. Last week, the jury saw video from August 16, 2023 of Erin's two children giving statements to police. Today we're going to run through the son's statement. When asked about his parents' relationship, he described it as quote very negative. The son said Erin and Simon Patterson quote had a few arguments. Quote I know dad does a lot of things to try and hurt mum, such as messing around with the school, he said. In his interview.
Speaker 1:Miss Patterson's son stated he hadn't attended the lunch but was instead watching the movie Elemental in nearby Corrumburra. If you hear that noise, that's my cat, sorry. He said he arrived home at about 3pm and then chatted with his grandfather, don, about his hobby flight training. He said he'd gotten back home about half an hour before Don, gail, ian and Heather left the house. The son observed the group sitting around the dining table and chatting. He recalled them as being in good spirits and once again spoke with Don about the flying lessons. After the guests had left, he said he helped his mother clean up the house.
Speaker 1:Quote. I remember taking some plates up to the sink and putting them in the dishwasher. He said I collected the plates, put them in a pile next to the sink. I collected all the glasses, put them near the sink. He noted that there didn't seem to be any leftover food on the dishes, describing the plates as quote plain white and about 15 centimetres across. When asked further, he confirmed they all looked the same. The son then spent time playing video games with a friend. Later that evening he went upstairs to ask his mother for a ride home for his friend and found her quote building Lego.
Speaker 1:The following morning he saw his mother seated at the dining table with a cup of coffee. Mum said she was feeling a bit sick and had diarrhoea. She said she woke up a few times through the night to go to the toilet. He recalled she wasn't feeling well. She said she was feeling dizzy. He observed that she was more subdued than usual and suspected she might have been downplaying how unwell she was.
Speaker 1:They skipped church that day as Erin did not want to risk infecting others, but she still encouraged him to attend his flight lesson. Quote. Around 11.30am I came out to mum to ask if she's still okay for the flying lesson. Just assure her if it was okay. If we didn't go they set off for Tyab Tyab. Sorry that afternoon but the lesson ended up being cancelled due to poor weather at the last minute. They didn't make any bathroom stops along the way. But returning home, ms Patterson quickly headed inside. She raced to the front door and said I need to go to the toilet. He recounted that evening. She told her children they'd be having the leftovers from the previous day's lunch. He remembered the meal beef, mashed potatoes and green beans. It was very soft and was probably some of the best meat I've ever had. He said I cut it up into cubes and I ate it.
Speaker 1:On Monday their father took the children to Monash Children's Hospital in Melbourne. The son said his mother was in hospital and he underwent three blood tests between Monday and Tuesday but was later cleared and allowed to go home. The son said he hadn't felt sick at any point. In the end it was nothing, he said. Then we just stayed with mum and we went back to school on Monday because Erin was in the same hospital by Thursday. His mother was still unwell, continuing to drink coffee and reporting dizziness and a clammy feeling. She said she was feeling clammy and dizzy. He said Ms Patterson watched her son's statement from the courtroom via a video feed. She appeared emotional at certain points and wiped her face with a tissue. She nodded when he spoke and smiled when he mentioned her love of cooking. She likes cooking brownies. She loves her roasts. He said Thanks for listening to the Mushroom Murder Trial podcast today.
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