Infamous ‘mushroom cook' Erin Patterson found GUILTY of murdering in-laws with poison deathcaps at deadly lunch
Erin Patterson was accused of hiding deadly mushrooms in a meal to murder her estranged husband's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66.
14
14
14
She was also accused of attempting to murder Wilkinson's husband Ian by serving a beef wellington laced with poisonous death cap mushrooms.
Patterson pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one of attempted murder for the July 29, 2023, incident.
The 12 jurors were sequestered during their deliberations and weren't allowed to return to their homes, staying overnight instead in special accommodation new the Latrobe Valley law courts.
A sentencing date is yet to be scheduled.
Patterson claimed to have purchased dehydrated mushrooms at an Asian supermarket in Melbourne, Australia.
But she couldn't remember exactly where she had bought them from.
Despite Patterson pleading not guilty, she did accept that death cap mushrooms were in the meal she served.
But she argued she didn't intend to harm anyone and that the mushrooms were just a tragic accident.
All of Patterson's alleged victims were related to her estranged husband Simon and died from liver failure within a week of the fatal lunch.
Toxicologists discovered they had all been poisoned by death cap mushrooms, which grow under oak trees throughout the region of south Melbourne.
Patterson denied at first that she had foraged for wild mushrooms or that she had her own food dehydrator cops allege was used to dry them out.
Eden Blackman dead: Celebs Go Dating star's heartbroken family announce death after 'long illness'
But she later admitted both to foraging for mushrooms and to owning the dehydrator.
The jury was sent to reach a verdict after listening to 35 days of evidence and cross-examination.
The judge had instructed the jury: "You will deliberate Mondays to Saturdays here at the court in the privacy of the jury room.
"You will not deliberate on Sundays, but you will still be sequestered. You do not get to go home on Sundays. I'm sorry."
The judge also gave directions to the jury about Patterson's alleged lies, like her wanting gastric bypass surgery, having an ovarian cancer diagnosis and the reason she invited the guests for lunch.
The prosecution had alleged that Patterson lied to her relatives about a cancer diagnosis in order to persuade them to attend the deadly lunch, before poisoning them and faked an illness to cover her tracks.
The judge added: "If you find the accused lied about something you can use that fact to decide whether or not you believe the other things she's said.
"It's one factor to take into account. It's for you to decide what significance to give these alleged lies, if you find them to be lies."
14
14
14
The fatal lunch
On July 29, 2023 Patterson gathered her estranged husband's relatives together for a Saturday lunch at her home.
She served up a beef wellington - allegedly containing death cap mushrooms and her guests soon became violently ill.
Her former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66, all died within a week.
Pastor Ian Wilkinson was the only one who survived the deadly lunch.
But he was left in critical condition and spent almost two months being treated in the Austin Hospital - including time spent in a coma.
Doctors have confirmed all four of their symptoms were consistent with poisoning by death cap mushrooms, which grow wild in the area.
Patterson had also invited her husband to the lunch but he declined, reportedly texting her the night before that he felt "uncomfortable".
In a return text minutes later, Patterson reportedly said she was "disappointed", as she wanted to prepare a "special meal and that she may not be able to have a lunch like this for some time".
Patterson has long denied any wrongdoing and and has always insisted she never meant to serve "my loved ones" the deadly mushrooms.
She pleaded not guilty to the murder charges in the Latrobe Valley Magistrates Court in May 2024.
14
14
14
14
But this is not the first time Patterson has faced accusations of attempted murder.
On "three separate incidents" spanning across 2021 to 2022, police say that Erin attempted to kill a 48-year-old Korumburra man.
It's understood this man is Erin's ex-husband, Simon Patterson.
Two of the dates are unknown, however in May 2022, Simon claimed to have suffered from a mystery illness that fighting for life in hospital.
In a social media post, he wrote: "I collapsed at home, then was in an induced coma for 16 days through which I had three emergency operations mainly on my small intestine, plus an additional planned operation.
"My family were asked to come and say goodbye to me twice, as I was not expected to live.
"I was in intensive care for 21 days..."
And the case has not been short of its twists and turns.
In August 2023 a tradesman came forward to reveal that he had seen and photographed what he called a "death wall" inside Erin's former home.
The tradesman said he was hired to paint the inside last year so it could be flogged.
But he got more than he bargained for and discovered eerie drawings scrawled in blue and red markers.
Messages were also found over the wall - with one chilling note reading: "You don't [have] long to live".
That same day, a neighbour of Patterson's claimed she was an experienced forager, who regularly picked her own mushrooms in the local area.
In March 2024 cops delved into Patterson's Facebook accounts in the hope of bolstering charges against her.
Patterson had a number of profiles online and constantly used different names to post and interact with others, according to the Herald Sun.
She also allegedly took to Facebook to declare she was "very good at details" before the fateful lunch.
14
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
18 hours ago
- The Independent
Where to watch the ‘One Night in Idaho' documentary
On 13 November 2022, the tight-knit community in the Idaho town of Moscow were left reeling after the murder of four college students. University of Idaho undergraduates Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were stabbed to death at their home in the middle of the night. Their two other roommates, Bethany Funke and Dylan Mortensen, were the only people in the house to survive. After a seven-week manhunt, the now-convicted mass murderer Bryan Kohberger was found at his family home. For three years, he professed his innocence before switching his plea to avoid the death penalty, just weeks before he was due to stand trial. The police revealed little about the investigation owing to a gag order in place, which was lifted by the judge ahead of the sentencing. But many questions remain unanswered, including the motivations behind his attack. In a bid to put the victims and their families front and centre, directors Liz Garbus and Matthew Galkin have made a four-part documentary titled One Night in Idaho: The College Murders. It follows the family and friends of the victims in the aftermath and explores the impact of social media sleuths during high-profile cases. Here's everything you need to know about it, including where to stream. What is 'One Night in Idaho: The College Murders' about? The four-part series recounts the night of the murders, where four students were stabbed in their off-campus house in the quiet town of Moscow. Exploring the aftermath of the killings, it features the grieving family, friends and wider community. The documentary features exclusive interviews with Stacey and Jim Chapin (parents of Ethan Chapin), and Karen and Scott Laramie (parents of Madison Mogen), none of whom have previously been interviewed about the murders. The directors of the series – Liz Garbus and Matthew Galkin – wanted to shake up the true crime format by putting the victims at the forefront, rather than the suspect. Across four episodes, One Night in Idaho also explores the impact and damage of internet sleuths who became obsessed with the case, some of whom attempted to sneak into the University's classes and dorms, and others even into the roped-off house. Where to watch 'One Night in Idaho' in the UK All four episodes of One Night in Idaho are now available on Amazon Prime Video. If you're not already a member, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial. After that, a Prime membership costs £8.99 per month or £95 per year. Alternatively, you can subscribe to Prime Video alone for £5.99 per month.
Daily Mail
18 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Teen killer gives shocking prison interview after helping Republican lawmaker's daughter murder her father
A Las Vegas killer who helped his then-girlfriend murder her father insisted he is 'not a monster' in a jailhouse interview as he said he hopes to someday be paroled. Aaron Guerrero, 20, was convicted alongside his former girlfriend Sierra Halseth after they brutally stabbed, dismembered and burned her father Daniel Halseth in April 2021. Guerrero, who was 18 at the time of the slaying, said he and Sierra, then-16, decided to kill Halseth because he mistreated his daughter, which the victim's family insist is completely false. In his jailhouse interview, Guerrero said he was suffering from mental health problems at the time and wasn't taking his medication. 'I would pretend like I would take it, and I feel like that has some form or impact in what happened,' he said in an interview with 8NewsNow. Guerrero added that he was taking LSD often at the time of the murder, and blamed the psychedelic drug for exacerbating his mental health problems, leading to the murder. 'I don't think I would have been capable of something like that had I been sober, because it's a psychological drug as most people know, and when you have a mental illness it only makes it worse,' he said. Both Guerrero and Sierra were sentenced in 2022 to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 22 years, and he said that if he is ever freed, he hopes to show the Halseth family he is a better person. Sierra Halseth, then-16, left, and Aaron Guerrero, then-18, right, are pictured in their mugshots after being arrested for murdering her father Daniel Halseth in 2021 When asked how he could ever make up the brutal murder to the Halseth family, Guerrero responded: 'By proving to them that I'm not a monster. '(And by showing) that I still have potential to be a functioning member of society and can benefit society.' When Sierra and Guerrero were caught for Halseth's murder three days after his burnt body was found in his Las Vegas home, shocking footage the couple filmed while on the run captured international headlines. They were seen cuddled up in bed together, with Guerrero kissing his girlfriend on the head and saying: 'Day three after murdering somebody.' 'Don't say that on camera!' she responded. Halseth was the ex-husband of former Republican state legislator Elizabeth Halseth, Sierra's mother. The couple had a public divorce and custody battle, and prosecutors said that he had a fraught relationship with Sierra and the murder came after he tried to forbid her from seeing Guerrero. Explaining the casualness of their reaction to the murder in the infamous footage filmed days later, Guerrero now says that he is not proud of the footage. 'We were both trying to cope with what happened and we, I can't say for Sierra, but personally I feel guilt every day,' he said. The brutality in Halseth's murder stunned the nation, with detectives finding that the father was stabbed 70 times before his body was cut up by construction tools. His remains were found stuffed in a sleeping bag in the garage of his home, which had been set on fire. Asked how the murder unfolded, Guerrero did not go into specifics, but said: 'She got the weapon first and I always carry a weapon, so you know that's what led to what happened after that.' Sierra is locked up in Florence McClure Women's Correctional Center in North Las Vegas, while Guerrero is spending his sentence at High Desert State Prison, just a 40 minute drive away. But Guerrero said he has no plans on ever speaking to his former girlfriend again, and said he is filled with regret over how he got swept up in their teen relationship. 'I think I acted more out of impulse than what you could call love,' he said.
BBC News
18 hours ago
- BBC News
Transgender woman, 71, killed partner with sword, jury finds
A jury has found that a transgender woman killed her Rowland-Stuart, 71, was charged with murdering Andrew Rowland-Stuart, 70, at their home in Brighton in May a psychiatric assessment, Ms Rowland-Stuart was deemed unfit to a trial of facts at Lewes Crown Court, a jury agreed that Ms Rowland-Stuart did commit the act and she was given an indefinite Hospital Order Under Section 41 of the Mental Health Act 1983. Ms Rowland-Stuart, who identifies as a transgender woman, and Mr Rowland-Stuart, known as Andy, had a civil partnership in 2006.A post mortem concluded that he died from stab wounds and the trial previously heard that she killed him with a samurai previously told police that she had acted in self defence at his flat in Lavender Street on 27 May 2024. Recovered internet searches from Ms Rowland-Stuart's phone in the weeks before the death showed 14 results for swords, including replica swords, curved swords, samurai curved swords, Japanese swords and Japanese sword names, the court was previously Rowland-Stuart was ruled unfit to plead by Judge Christine Laing KC on Monday, so did not take part in the trial.A statement released on behalf of Mr Rowland-Stuart's family said: "We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved with this case over the past year."To DC Anna Stacey for her care and communication with the family while we were in England and back home in New Zealand, and to Andrew's Sussex 4x4 family, especially Jason, who helped us immensely while we were there."Det Ch Insp Alex Campbell, from Sussex Police, said: "Our thoughts remain with the family of Andrew and we want to thank everyone who has assisted us in this complex investigation."
