Death Cap Evidence: Inside Erin Patterson’s Computer - Claims

Digital forensic expert Sharman Fox-Henry testifies about key evidence found on Erin Patterson's computer in the Mushroom Murder Trial. Mr Fox-Henry reveals a Google search for a site featuring death cap mushrooms on May 28, 2022—approximately one year before the fatal lunch where three people died after allegedly consuming toxic mushrooms.

• Digital forensics team created a clone of Patterson's computer to search for evidence
• Computer had three storage units including Samsung drive and Hitachi hard disk
• Investigators searched for terms including "death cap mushrooms" and "poisons"
• Evidence showed a search at 7:20and 7:21 on May 28, 2022 for a death cap mushroom page on iNaturalist.org
• Page documented a mushroom sighting at Bricca Reserve in Moorabbin
• Shortly after viewing this page, an alleged search for "Korrumburra Middle Pub" was made
• Chrome autofill data showed Erin Patterson's name and mobile number used around the same time
• Prosecution building timeline suggesting alleged research into deadly mushrooms a year before the incident

Thanks for listening. For more information, visit my website. Make sure you subscribe to my newsletter on www.mushroommurdertrial.com, it's jam-packed with news about the trial. Plus I'm on Instagram at Erin underscore pod. You can find me on Facebook. Just search the podcast, the mushroom Murder Trial podcast. I also will put links in the show notes to those social media accounts. 

And if you were feeling like rewarding me for the thousands of hours I’ve spent on this work, I have a buy me a coffee membership which allows you to pay $5 as a thanks and I get a coffee. This goes towards the editing, studio hire, liability, insurance, equipment, sound and voiceovers. Plus there’s exclusive membership material on the site, just for you.

Chapters

• 0:00 Podcast Introduction & Case Overview
• 1:45 Digital Forensic Expert Testimony
• 3:37 Key Search Evidence Revealed
• 5:43 Digital Timeline of Suspect Activity
• 6:50 Wrapping Up & Support Information

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hello and welcome to the Mushroom Murder Trial podcast. My name is Lisa and most weekdays I deliver detailed coverage of one of Australia's most closely watched legal dramas, that being Erin Patterson's murder trial. So here's everything you need to know from yesterday's hearings in the Supreme Court in Morwell in Victoria, southeastern Australia. Quick reminder before we launch into today's update, head to mushroommurdertrialcom to subscribe for my newsletter. You'll get everything you want from that. Well, I hope so. If you haven't yet, please also subscribe to this podcast on your preferred platform so you never miss a thing. Now you can go forward to yesterday's hearing in relation to what was allegedly found on one of Erin's computers or listen to the background here If you're new, welcome. Now.

Speaker 1: 1:00

The defendant is Erin Trudy Patterson, age 50, of Leangatha, victoria. The charges are three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. The plea is not guilty to all charges. On the 29th of July 2023, during a family gathering, ms Patterson allegedly served a homemade beef wellington containing the deadly toxins of death cat mushrooms. Within days, three family members die her in-laws, don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister, heather, who's aged 66. Heather's husband, ian Wilkinskinson, fell critically ill but survived. Now.

Speaker 1: 1:45

Yesterday's sole testimony was from Charmin Fox Henry, who is a digital forensic expert from Victoria Police. He analysed devices seized from Ms Patterson's home. He told the court he was a senior digital forensic officer from the Cybercrime Squad and testified that he and a team of experts analysed a computer in connection with the Patterson murder investigation. Mr Fox-Henry told the court how forensic officers could create a digital clone of an electronic device to allow investigators to comb through it for anything relevant using designated keywords. He told the jury that the individual data points were known as quote artifacts and could be analysed by recovery software. Sounds very techie. The SEAS computer taken from Ms Patterson's home on the 5th of August 2023, was later confirmed as a Cooler Master desktop system with the identified. There's a code here. I'll put it on the website so you can see it, but I don't think it's really good. Audio me reading out the identifier code. Okay, mr Fox Henry noted that the machine had three storage units a Samsung drive, a Hitachi hard disk and a silicon-powered SSD, but the last one wasn't connected. The data extraction from the system began on August 15, 2023, and during his analysis, mr Fox-Henry searched for terms including death cap, death cap mushrooms, death cap mushroom and poisons. He mentioned that investigators had provided some of these key words ahead of the analysis. His findings were later submitted in a report dated March 16, 2024.

Speaker 1: 3:50

Mr Fox-Henry informed the court that Google Chrome browsing data from the device suggested a search was made from the computer at 7.23pm on May 28, 2022, so about a year before the launch for a page on inaturalistorg. Now, we've spoken about that before. It's an app and it's an online social network of people sharing biodiversity information. The Chrome search page, according to Mr Fox Henry, was titled Death Cap Mushroom from Melbourne, victoria, australia, and documented a mushroom sighting by Ivan Marjita at Bricca Reserve in Moorabbin. I can say Moorabbin. That's exciting. That's a win, not like previous attempts. So Moorabbin is a suburb of Melbourne and it was May 18 at 2.36pm. This was about, as I said, one year before the deadly lunch Records obtained from the google search engine and it was a chrome on the computer suggested that on may 28, 2022.

Speaker 1: 5:08

A user also searched for quote corinne borough middle pub, a venue near her home. I have been there and I tell you their desserts are exceptional. It's a cute little pub. We went there on a saturday night and and it had a really good energy about it. They had the football on. The food was great, there were lots of people Anyway. Also search for Coramborough Middle Pub, a venue near her home.

Speaker 1: 5:32

Shortly after looking up iNaturalist, additional logs revealed Bing. I'd forgotten about. Bing was also used to search for iNaturalist. The analyst stated that website cookies further confirmed visits to iNaturalist's website. The reconstructed timeline for May 28 is the following, according to the prosecution 7.20pm iNaturalist was searched. 7.21pm iNaturalist website was accessed. 7.23pm a search for Coram Borough Middle Pub was performed. Prosecutor Jane Warren also directed Mr Fox Henry to the Google Chrome autofill. Artifacts captured by the report showing the name Erin Patterson and a mobile number were autofilled at about the same time. On another matter, the prosecutor made mention of a message received by Gail Patterson's phone. Dates and times were given for it, but the prosecutor said she would go through the content of this message later with a different witness. Mr Fox Henry is expected to resume giving evidence when the trial continues today.

Speaker 1: 6:50

So thank you for listening. For more information, go to my website. Make sure you subscribe to the newsletter mushroommurdertrialcom plus. I'm on all the socials so you will see the links in the show notes and, if you feel like rewarding me for the millions of hours I've spent on this work. I have a Buy Me A Coffee membership which allows you to pay $5 as a thanks and I get a coffee, but only if you can afford it. I really just appreciate you being here and giving me your time. That's so awesome, so thank you. That's so awesome, so thank you. And also the $5 goes towards the editing studio hire, liability insurance, equipment, et cetera, et cetera. Plus, I've put some exclusive membership material on Buy A Mare Coffee, just for you. So thanks everyone. I hope you have a wonderful day and we will talk soon. Bye.