Erin Patterson: CCTV released of mushroom cook killer dumping dehydrator after fatal lunch
The CCTV footage, spanning 47 seconds, captures Patterson arriving at the Koonwarra Transfer Station in the morning of August 2, 2023, in her red MG SUV and carry the black bulky item directly into a shed.
The 50-year-old mother of two was found guilty last month of murdering three of her husband Simon Patterson's relatives, and the attempted murder of a fourth, with a poisoned beef wellington just days earlier on July 29.
Simon's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson died from death cap mushroom poisoning in the week following the lunch while Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson, survived.
Patterson will return to court on Friday. Picture: NewsWire/ David Crosling
CCTV captured her dumping the dehydrator. Picture: Supplied/ Supreme Court of Victoria
During her trial, the jury was shown the footage as police described locating the Sunbeam Food Lab dehydrator in the tip's e-waste bin on August 4.
It was later found to contain remnants of death cap mushrooms.
The court was told Patterson's trip came the morning after she was released from Monash Hospital on the afternoon of August 1.
On the stand, Patterson claimed she dumped the dehydrator in a panic after Simon allegedly confronted her in hospital — an incident he says never happened.
'He said to me, 'Is that how you poisoned my parents, using that dehydrator?'' she said.
Patterson claimed she realised soon after she might be wrongly blamed for the deaths and took steps to hide evidence.
The dehydrator was soon located. Picture: Supplied/ Supreme Court of Victoria
The jury heard Patterson had purchased the dehydrator just two months earlier on April 28 and shared with friends online she'd been hiding dehydrated mushrooms in everything.
'I've been hiding powdered mushrooms in everything. Mixed it into chocolate brownies yesterday, the kids had no idea,' one message reads.
Another said; 'So fun fact the dehydrator reduces mushroom mass by 90 per cent. Do you think Woolies would mind if I put the dehydrator into their vegetable section and dry things before I buy them.'
A second video of Patterson handing over a mobile phone to Detective Sergeant Luke Farrell on August 5, a week after the lunch, was also released.
Patterson, sitting at the dining table in her family home, when Sergeant Farrell asks Patterson to hand over her phone and provide him the pin code.
'Thanks for your patience today, Erin. We're completing our search,' Detective Farrell says in the footage.
At trial, Patterson maintained she was innocent and did not intentionally poison anyone.
Instead, the jury heard, the case was a tragic foraging accident with wild mushrooms inadvertently making their way into the beef wellington lunch. Patterson is set to return to the Victorian Supreme Court on Friday, where it's expected a date will be listed for a pre-sentence hearing.
Liam Beatty
Journalist
Liam Beatty is a court reporter with NCA NewsWire. He has previously worked in newsrooms in Victoria and Western Australia.
Liam Beatty
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