Cult chef breaks mushroom case silence
Australian online culinary figure Nagi Maehashi found herself as one of the countless facets of Erin Patterson's lengthy murder trial when it was revealed the triple murderer used one of Ms Maehashi's recipes as the basis for the fatal beef wellington dish.
'Dear journalists of Australia, please stop calling and emailing and texting and DM'ing me about the Erin Patterson case,' Ms Maehashi posted on Tuesday following the jury's guilty verdicts. Nagi Maehashi has a large following on her RecipeTin Eats site. Supplied Credit: Supplied Police found this cookbook when they searched Erin Patterson's house. Supplied Credit: News Corp Australia
'It is of course upsetting to learn that one of my recipes – possibly the one I've spent more hours perfecting than any other – something I created to bring joy and happiness, is entangled in a tragic situation,' she wrote.
'Other than that I have nothing to say and I won't be talking to anyone. Thank you for respecting my privacy – Nagi.'
Patterson, 50, was on Monday found guilty of the murders of Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, and the attempted murder of Ms Wilkinson's husband, pastor Ian Wilkinson, 71.
During the trial, Patterson told the jury that she made beef wellingtons based on a recipe in Ms Maehashi's cookbook and wanted 'to do something new and special'.
Patterson laced the meal with poisonous mushrooms at her Leongatha home on July 29, 2023.
'Murder is not fun'
Swinburne University PhD candidate Loryn Sykes says the media and public have turned a devastating loss of life into a show for their own amusement.
Ms Sykes is hoping to complete a PhD in true crime podcasting.
'From an avalanche of memes about the case, to journalists hounding the author of the cookbook Patterson based her beef wellington recipe on, there has been no shortage of unhelpful and deeply unserious behaviour online which has been spurred by this case,' she said. Following the guilty verdicts, the court released images of evidence, including the beef wellington in question and the above cookbook. Supplied Credit: Supplied
'The Erin Patterson case had all the hallmarks of a classic true-crime tale – fraught interpersonal family relationships which led to murder, a perpetrator who has been described as 'narcissistic' and 'evil', and an investigation with enough twists and turns to rival any true- crime podcast or series,' Ms Sykes said.
In a media release, Ms Sykes said 'the intense media and public attention on this case was inevitable, but the amount of online discussion and in-person gossiping about the Patterson case reveals how easy it is to turn unthinkable tragedy into an amusing pop-culture moment to chat about'.
'Murder is not fun. Having not just one but several family members ripped away from you by the actions of another is a harrowing experience,' she said.
'The last thing the Patterson and Wilkinson families need is more eyes on them during such a horrifying moment in their lives.'
The families involved in the case now needed privacy and time to heal, she said.
'This pain and grief will be with them for the rest of their lives; the intense international media coverage this case has received will certainly not have helped them grieve,' Ms Sykes said.
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