The Two Faces of Erin Patterson: Uncovering the Mushroom Murder Trial

Please note I misspoke and I mistakenly said Heather instead of Erin .The error is regretted. 

Erin Patterson faces the Supreme Court of Victoria on three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder related to a deadly lunch where mushrooms were allegedly served. The prosecution is suggesting she had "two faces" - a loving public persona contrasting with private resentment toward her former in-laws.

• Crown Prosecutor Dr Nanette Rogers claims Patterson's Facebook messages reveal her true feelings about in-laws Don and Gail Patterson
• Ms Patterson denies allegations that she was angry with her in-laws for taking Simon's side in a child allowance dispute
• The accused explains she invited the Wilkinsons to lunch to thank Heather Wilkinson for past kindness and because Gail mentioned Heather would like her garden
• Ms Patterson admits she never told medical professionals about potentially foraged mushrooms in the meal, even after relatives became severely ill
• Evidence presented suggests Ms Patterson disposed of a dehydrator the day after being discharged from hospital
• The prosecution alleges Ms Patterson prepared a separate poisoned beef wellington for Simon who didn't attend the lunch

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Chapters

• 0:00 Podcast Introduction
• 0:29 Erin Patterson's Trial Details
• 0:52 Two-Faced Accusations
• 1:36 Inviting the Wilkinsons
• 2:39 Hospital Discharge and Evidence Disposal
• 3:34 Newsletter and Support Options

Transcript

Speaker 0: 0:00

Hello and welcome to the Mushroom Murder Trial podcast. My name's Lisa and I'm reporting on and following the Erin Patterson case in the Supreme Court of Victoria. Quick reminder, before we start and we launch into today's update and I have a lot to report to you head to themushroommurdertrialcom, subscribe for my exclusive newsletter that I put out every week and if you haven't yet, please subscribe to this podcast on your preferred platform, because I'll be here until the end and I hope you are as well. Now to start. Erin Trudy Patterson, age 50, of Lee and Gathar Victoria, is facing three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. The plea is not guilty. Now her murder trial yesterday heard that she portrayed one version of herself publicly as a loving family member and another privately, which allegedly mocked two of the people who attended her deadly lunch. In the Supreme Court at Morwell, crown Prosecutor Dr Nanette Rogers said the 50 year old's true feelings about her parents-in-law, don and Gail Patterson, were demonstrated in the accused's emotional Facebook messages. Ms Patterson rejected that and said incorrect. The mother of two was then asked if she had two faces, a public one and a private one, inside her Facebook messenger group. Erin's voice was wavering and breaking down during this exchange. It started with Dr Rogers saying that's what you told the police in your record of interview on the 5th of August 2023, correct and that you loved his parents. I suggest that you didn't love them. Correct or incorrect? That's not true. I suggest that you were angry that they took Simon's side in your argument with him in 2022 about the child allowance. That's not true. And that feeling towards them continued. Correct or incorrect? Incorrect, said Miss Patterson. In fact, you had two faces a public face appearing to have a good relationship with Don and Gail, as shown to people like Simon, anna, tanya Matt, ruth Dubois, professor Stewart and police in your record of interview. Agree or disagree? Are you asking me to agree? If I had two faces? I'm asking you do you agree that you had a public face of appearing to have a good relationship with Don and Gail? I had a good relationship with Don and Gail. I suggest your private face was the one you showed in your Facebook Messenger use. Correct or incorrect? Incorrect.

Speaker 0: 2:18

In court yesterday, ms Patterson also confirmed she had mentioned having medical issues. When inviting estranged husband Simon Patterson to that fateful lunch as well, she did not alert medical professionals that the meal might have included foraged mushrooms even after learning her relatives were very unwell. It was unusual for her to host a lunch like that at home. She responded as well. The accused denied suggestions that she allegedly failed to tell Simon Patterson about changing her children's schools. She was angry with Don and Gail Patterson over child support and school fees. Ms Patterson allegedly which she denies sent inflammatory messages to the family group chat, which she denies. She allegedly told her Facebook friend, christine Hunt that Simon was coercive, which she denies. She prepared a separate poisoned beef wellington for Simon and discarded it after he didn't show up. She denies that as well.

Speaker 0: 3:12

Now then we moved on to testimony about inviting Heather and Ian Wilkinson to lunch. Dr Rogers reminds the court that Heather was Gail Patterson's sister. They live close to each other. Mr Wilkinson told the court he and his wife were excited to be invited to lunch. Did you know that Anne Wilkinson's been in the public gallery like nearly every day? Erin's son said the relationship with the Wilkinsons was neutral, so not strong or negative in July 2023. Erin agreed yeah, that's probably fair. She agreed that the Wilkinsons had not previously been to her Leon Gather home.

Speaker 0: 3:46

Dr Rogers asked why did you invite Ian and Heather to lunch on July 29? Erin, there were a few reasons. Ian had been her pastor for years. She would see and speak with Ian and Heather after church. She liked them and wanted a stronger relationship as well. As this, erin said when she invited Don and Gail to a previous lunch on July 24, her mother-in-law said her garden looked so nice, heather would really like to see it too and that gave Erin the idea to invite the Wilkinsons. So Heather explained to the court emotionally. I just wanted to say thank you to them for being good to me over the years. Heather helped me a lot when child was little and I started taking her to playgroup at Coram Borough Baptist and I was shy and didn't really know many people and Heather would sit with me through those playgroup times and was really kind to me and I wanted to say thank you to her. She said sobbing.

Speaker 0: 4:38

The prosecutor then asked Ms Patterson about her alleged actions after being discharged from Monash Medical Centre. I did not tell anybody On your evidence, you never told a medical professional that forage mushrooms were involved or might have been involved, correct, that's correct. And you never told anyone, for that matter, for example, sally Ann Atkinson, correct, correct. So this day, this realization on a Tuesday, the first. I suggest that this was days before anyone had died, correct? Even after you were discharged. So she was in Monash Hospital even after you were discharged from hospital. On that day. You didn't tell a single person there may have been forage mushrooms used in that meal, correct? Instead, the next day, you didn't tell a single person there may have been forage mushrooms used in that meal, correct? Instead, the next day, a Wednesday, the 2nd of August, you got up, you drove your children to school and then came home, correct? I did do that. That was your evidence the other day. And then you got rid of the tea hydrator. I did do that, correct. Correct. So that's all I've got for you.

Speaker 0: 5:34

There'll be a longer version of Yesterday's Hearing recorded by my friend Louise and I this weekend. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend, especially if you've got a long weekend, like us. Get out there and enjoy it. Thank you for listening. For more information, come to the website. Make sure you subscribe to the newsletter, mushroommurdertrialcom Plus. I'm on the socials and they're all down the bottom there behind, underneath the show notes. You can find me on Facebook too. Just search for the podcast mushroommurdertrialcom.

Speaker 0: 6:02

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