Prosucutors have told a Morwell court Erin Patterson pretended to have been diagnosed with cancer in order to lure her in-law's family to her home for dinner. Patterson has been accused of knowingly feeding them poisonous mushrooms.

Morwell

A mother of two, Erin Patterson, is currently on trial, facing accusations of deliberately poisoning her relatives with lethal death cap mushrooms. Prosecutors believe she served the toxic meal during a lunch gathering at her home in Leongatha, allegedly intending to deceive her guests by claiming she needed their advice on breaking the news of a cancer diagnosis to her children. However, the court revealed that Patterson had no prior cancer diagnosis and used the false claim as an explanation for her children's absence from the event.

During the lunch, invited guests included Patterson's estranged husband Simon, his parents Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt and uncle Heather and Ian Wilkinson. Simon informed Erin he would not attend shortly before the event, to which she expressed disappointment, emphasizing her efforts in meal preparation. The prosecution alleges that the meal consisted of beef wellington, disguised with death cap mushrooms, served on distinct plates different from the ones Erin used for herself.

All attendees, except Erin, experienced severe symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting. Tragically, Don, Gail, and Heather succumbed to organ failure within days, while Ian was hospitalized for weeks before his recovery. According to the court, Erin also sought hospital treatment but evaded admission when urged by doctors. She reportedly masqueraded as experiencing similar ailments to conceal her actions.

The prosecution argues that Patterson lied to officials about purchasing the mushrooms at local stores, supported by phone data indicating her presence at a known death cap mushroom site. Additionally, authorities report Erin's attempts to hinder investigation efforts, including denying ownership of a food dehydrator, which police retrieved, and performing a factory reset on her mobile phone during house searches. Patterson, pleading not guilty to three counts of murder and one of attempted murder, asserts the incident was a tragic accident.



'Mushroom murderer' lured family to deadly dinner

A mother of two on trial accused of triple murder. Prosecutors claim Erin Patterson deliberately poisoned her relatives. The court heard she hosted a lunch at her Leongatha home in July 2023, claiming she needed her family's advice on how to break the news of a cancer diagnosis to her children. The accused had not been diagnosed with cancer prior to the lunch and her claim was deliberately false. The accused used the false claim that she had serious medical issues to ensure and to explain why her children would not be present at the lunch. Ms Patterson had invited her estranged husband Simon to the lunch, along with his parents Don and Gail Patterson and his aunt and uncle Heather and Ian Wilkinson, but the day before Simon messaged Erin telling her he wouldn't be there. The accused replied five minutes later saying that she was disappointed. She emphasised the effort she had put into preparing the lunch because she wanted it to be a special meal. A meal of beef wellington allegedly laced with lethal death cap mushrooms, which the Crown claims Erin served up on different coloured plates to her own. All four lunch guests fell violently ill with diarrhoea and vomiting later that evening. Within days Don, Gail and Heather all died of organ failure. Heather's husband Ian was in hospital for weeks but survived. The court heard Ms Patterson took herself to hospital but resisted doctors who insisted she be admitted. The accused did not consume death cap mushrooms and she pretended she was suffering the same type of illness as the lunch guests to cover that up. The prosecution claims Ms Patterson went to great lengths to continue the cover up by lying to authorities on multiple occasions. The court heard she claimed to have bought the mushrooms from her local Woolworths and an Asian grocery store at Oakley, when phone data showed she visited a location known for death cap mushroom sightings which had been posted on the website iNaturalist. The Crown claims she also denied ever owning a food dehydrator, which was later seized by police and factory reset one of her mobile phones while officers were searching her house. Ms Patterson has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one of attempted murder over the deadly lunch. She maintains what happened was a terrible and tragic accident.

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