Triple Murder Trial: Erin Patterson's Mushroom Defence Unfolds

Accused killer Erin Patterson continues her testimony in her triple murder trial, admitting under questioning some mushrooms in her beef wellington might have been poisonous death caps, while most came from supermarkets and grocers. The 50-year-old mother details her mushroom foraging habits developed during COVID lockdowns and describes testing wild mushrooms by trying small amounts first.

• Developed interest in wild mushrooms during COVID lockdowns while walking with her children
• Gradually became confident identifying certain mushroom varieties and testing them carefully
• Regularly purchased exotic mushrooms from Woolworths, farmers markets and Asian grocers
• Bought a dehydrator in April 2023 primarily to preserve wild mushrooms beyond their short season
• Described her 2015 separation from husband Simon as "amicable" with continued good relations
• Claimed her in-laws Don and Gail continued to treat her as family despite the separation
• Mentioned the Wilkinson family were friendly at church, with Heather making special effort to include her
• Court heard about text from Simon in December 2022 suggesting they could resolve financial issues

Visit mushroomandmurdertrial.com for more information and subscribe to the newsletter. This weekend, Louise Wilkinson and I will be reading from the full transcript of Erin's evidence. Follow on Instagram and other social platforms, and consider supporting through the Buy Me A Coffee membership.

Chapters

• 0:00 Erin admits to poison mushrooms
• 0:58 Erin's mushroom foraging hobby
• 1:57 Family relationships after separation
• 4:40 Podcast updates and support options

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Oh, my goodness, it's Lisa here from the Mushroom Murder Trial Podcast. I had to run home to make sure I got this out to you as soon as possible, so let me know what you think. Because Erin Patterson today continued giving evidence in her triple murder trial and told the court she accepted that some of the mushrooms in her beef wellington were poison death caps. But the mother of two said the majority of the mushrooms were from the local Leon Gatha Woolworths supermarket and a quote grocer in Melbourne. The 50-year-old mother of two gave her account from the witness stand at Morwell as members of both the Patterson and the Wilkinson families whose loved ones were affected by Miss Patterson's fatal beef Wellington meal sat in the courtroom.

Speaker 1: 0:52

The Supreme Court of Victoria heard about her interest in mushrooms, both wild and store-bought. She said she'd begun noticing wild mushrooms during the COVID lockdowns while on walks with her children in the Coranburra area. Quote. I first noticed them popping up. Then there were lots of them at in brackets, coranburra Botanic Gardens. I remember that she explained how she gradually became confident in identifying certain types, including field and horse mushrooms, identifying certain types, including field and horse mushrooms found in a paddock near her home Quote. It was a process over several months in the lead up to it. But when I got to a point where I was confident about what I thought they were, I cut a bit off one of the mushrooms, fried it up with some butter, ate it and then saw what happened. She said they tasted good and I didn't get sick.

Speaker 1: 1:46

Her barrister, colin Mandy SC, questioned her about her online communications with her Facebook friends, highlighting messages that reflected her enthusiasm for mushrooms. Ms Patterson agreed yep, that's true. She said she'd always liked mushrooms because quote they taste good and they're very healthy. She also told the court she regularly bought exotic varieties from Woolworths, farmers markets and Asian grocers in Melbourne. She said she would shop in those areas when her children were staying at her Melbourne home Quote I use them in curries or pasta dishes or soup or spaghetti, she said. When asked what she liked about the exotic mushrooms, she replied quote they just taste more interesting, more flavour.

Speaker 1: 2:37

Mr Mandy asked her about evidence that she had purchased a dehydrator in April 2023. I did do that, she said. I liked eating wild mushrooms, but it's a very short season. You can't keep them too long in the fridge, so it was one way to sort of preserve them and having them available later on through the year. She said Quote, but it wasn't just for mushrooms, so I thought perhaps I could start to use it to preserve a whole range of things.

Speaker 1: 3:09

She added she separated from her husband, simon Patterson, at the end of 2015. Ms Patterson described the split as quote amicable, saying there was no acrimony with assets and that, although it was a difficult time, that quote only lasted a few weeks. Quote. We went back to being really good friends. I didn't want to be separated, but there was no other choice, she said.

Speaker 1: 3:36

Ms Patterson told the jury that her in-laws, don and Gail Patterson, continued to treat her as a trusted member of the family even after the separation. It never changed. They just continued to love me. The family continued to share meals at each other's houses, including Simon's. Ms Patterson added that Don and Gail remained very involved in her children's lives. She also gave evidence about her relationship with members of the Wilkinson family, including two of the lunch attendees, ian and Heather Wilkinson. She told the court the Wilkinsons would talk with her at church and during Christmas gatherings. Quote. Heather would go out of her way to sit with me and make sure I had company. Ms Patterson said the court also heard about a message sent by Simon Patterson on the 9th of December 2022. In the text, he told Ms Patterson he had learned more about the financial aspects of their separation and believed the two of them could work their financial issues out.

Speaker 1: 4:41

So thank you so much for your time today. I'll be back tomorrow covering the trial for you, and Erin is expected to be giving more evidence tomorrow. Please head to my website musherandmurdertrialcom for more information. Sign up to the newsletter. People have had two newsletters this week, so you're missing out.

Speaker 1: 5:00

If you don't have it, make sure you subscribe to this podcast on your preferred platform, because I don't want you to miss an episode, and this weekend, my friend Louise Wilkinson and I we will be reading from the full transcript in terms of Erin's evidence that she's given this week, so I'm going to make sure you don't miss anything. Plus, I'm on Instagram and all the others and they're down the bottom in the show notes if you'd like to follow me there and if you'd like to reward me for the one gazillion hours of I've spent putting this podcast together. I have a Buy Me A Coffee membership which allows you to pay $5 as thanks and I get a coffee, because I really need a coffee at the moment. There's so much I could say, but I can't at the moment. So have a wonderful evening and I shall get back to you tomorrow with any updates, and have a great evening.